HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Houston County Public Works fixes hundreds of water leaks each year, but officials say that’s not why the county lost a million dollars last year .

Ken Cramp, a Houston County homeowner, experienced a water leak firsthand when he noticed a wet spot around his water meter. He said it took the county about a week to come out and fix it.

“It was probably over a week by the time they finally got out here,” Cramp said.

Houston County Utilities Director Terry Dietsch explained that the state’s dig law restricts the county from fixing leaks immediately unless there’s an emergency. The law requires them to wait for someone to come out and mark utilities, which can take at least 72 hours.

“If it's not an emergency, we cannot dig right away, so we have to go through the p

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