CAVE SPRING, Ga. (AP) - Residents in the northwest Georgia town of Cave Spring are expressing concerns about plans for natural gas drilling operations in the area.
A Texas oil, gas and development conglomerate plans a well near the town. A state permit indicates that Forestar expects to start drilling in the Cave Spring area in May, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
The possibility of drilling attracted residents to the Cave Spring City Council meeting this week, The Rome News-Tribune reported. Steve Craw told city councilors that he was concerned about protecting the city's water source.
"I think our water source is under threat," Craw told the city council. "I would hate for this to happen and five years from now our water supply be spoiled."
The city will attempt to get more information about the drilling and have the city attorney advise them of any action they could take, Councilmember Ken Landers said.
Council members said they had learned about the drilling plans from the Journal-Constitution article.
"We had no information about this, which concerns me because this is our water," Councilmember Peggy Allgood said at this week's meeting.
The planned well, John Wayne-Mudcreek No. 1, would be one of the deepest ever in Georgia at 14,000 feet, the Journal-Constitution reported.
Another company is considering the shale gas fields of the Mesozoic Basin that covers 60 percent of the Coastal Plain in south Georgia, said Jim Kennedy, the state's geologist.
