The Glade Farm reservoir would not be the first in Northeast Hall.

Over a decade ago, Cedar Creek reservoir, a 143-acre reservoir was built on a 520-acre site.

The lake is now the centerpiece of a county park. On one side of the reservoir is a brick building that houses water pumps that have never been used for municipal purposes.

Use of the reservoir is complicated by two factors: the ability to move the water into the system and rules regarding interbasin transfers.

Cedar Creek is fed by the Upper Oconee River, which eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The proposed Glade Farm reservoir, while just a few miles away, lies across a continental divide that splits East Hall. It would flow into the Chattahoochee River and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico.

An unusual method of getting the water from Glade Farm to Gainesville has been met with skepticism by federal officials. The proposal calls for transporting the water into Lake Lanier and to the city of Gainesville intakes.

If regulators balk at that proposal, the alternative is pumping the water to Gainesville.

If that happens, it could present an opportunity to tie-in the Cedar Creek reservoir as well.

That’s something Hall County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tom Oliver hopes is not needed.

"It’s like having a life insurance policy, you don’t want it until you need it," Oliver said.

It is estimated that Cedar Creek could supply 15 to 20 percent of the county’s water needs.

"It’s available and right now we don’t need to do it because of costs," he said. "But, if you’ve got to have water, the price will take care of itself."