Weekly Update 11/04/2016

From Bob Schwartz, City Manager


GUFC Community Grand Award – The Georgia Urban Forest Council awarded the City of Oxford the Community Grand Award based on a nomination submitted by Beryl Budd. Cheryl Ready, Mike Ready, and Bob Schwartz drove to Young Harris to receive the award at a luncheon on Wednesday, November 2nd. Dan Bauer, this year’s GUFC president and president of Arbor Equity presented the award.

Low Water Conditions – This is from the AJC on October 11, 2012:
“Haralson is the first Georgia county to trigger a Level III — the most severe — drought. Yet 50 counties across North Georgia are experiencing, at least, an ‘extreme’ drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. A handful of counties in far Northwest Georgia are experiencing an ‘exceptional’ — the worst — drought.” The counties marked with the darker colors are the ones with the worst drought conditions.

In Newton County, we are not close to a Level III, but we are approaching a choice about declaring a Level II which would require reduced use of water for lawn watering and washing your car. WE ARE NOT THERE YET, but Newton County Water is closing monitoring the situation. Lake Varner is down to 691.3 feet (above sea level) which is 9.7 feet below full. It has enough water for about 130 days. The trick is to get some rain, but the forecasts for the next month or so are pretty dry. Newton County Water will continue to monitor the situation and will let us know when, and if, we need to implement the Level II drought contingency plan.

Police Department – Here are the graphs for October.

Scare on the Square – Our Police Department joined with several other public safety departments to help sponsor the Scare on the Square in Covington on Halloween. Chief Harvey sent me 138 pictures. Here is a selection: