STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- Feeling the heat of public criticism, Stone Mountain Park pulled the plug Wednesday on its snow making operation.

The tourist attraction was using more than a million gallons of water to create man-made snow for a temporary attraction.

YOUR REACTION: To Stone Mountain Snow Making

Snow blowing began Tuesday and would have required about 38 gallons of water a minute for 12-18 a hours a day to make enough snow to cover the lawn behind Memorial Hall.

As soon as word of the operation spread, an avalanche of drought-rage began to build.

Homeowners, under an outdoor watering ban and not allowed to water their lawns or wash their cars because of drought restrictions, began to protest.

WSB-TV Channel 2 received a flood of calls and e-mails questioning the snow making.

Stone Mountain officials moved quickly to stem the protests.

They issued the following statement:

"Stone Mountain Park in conjunction with the Stone Mountain Memorial Association and Dekalb County Government, has made the decision to cease snow making for its new winter attraction, Coca-Cola Snow Mountain, effective at 10:00 a.m. this morning. While the Park is considered a commercial entity and had all required approvals to develop and open this attraction, we understand the concerns of our local citizens. We will explore all options for how we can continue to bring this snow park to Atlantans."

The Coca-Cola Snow Mountain was set to open in November.

The grassy hill is usually covered with blankets and picnickers during the park's evening laser show.

Snow blowers were pulling water from the DeKalb County water system, instead of the park's lake because park officials wanted the snow to be pure white.