Georgia Water Restrictions May Be Loosened

"If local governments agree, pool-filling will be allowed and home and business owners will be able to hand-water landscaping and flower gardens for 25 minutes a day, between midnight and 10 a.m., on a three-day-a-week schedule. Watering with sprinklers would still be banned, except for watering newly installed landscapes."

"A start date has not been set, and local governments could decide to keep the restrictions in place."

"They may need to: Cities and counties will still have to meet the state-mandated 10-percent reduction in water use, although it will be seasonally adjusted."

"Starting April 1, the new baseline will be the average amount of water used from April to September, when usage can be twice as high as in the winter months, mostly due to sprinkling lawns."