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File Photo/Lake Oconee News
Piedmont Water’s 30-day test period is scheduled to conclude this week for its new $15 million water treatment plant serving the Reynolds Water System.
The facility will pull and treat up to two million gallons of water each day from Lake Oconee. It replaces about 22 wells in the area that have been drawing hard groundwater.
Daily testing of various water quality standards began on June 8. The samples will be sent for evaluation to a laboratory certified by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources. It is expected to take at least a month for the results to be evaluated by Piedmont Water and the EPD, according to Manny Patel, Drinking Water Program Manager for the Georgia EPD.
Anticipating approval to start pumping to residential and commercial customers soon, the private utility this week sent emails to customers of the Reynolds Water System announcing the long-expected rate hike. It did not take long for word to spread on social media.
Starting this month, the residential minimum rate for 2,000 gallons of water will be $45, a 23 percent increase over the current rate of $36.50.
Rates for usage over the minimum will also increase. For example, for usage between 2,001 and 5,000 gallons per month, the current rate is $7.50 per 1,000 additional gallons. That will increase to $10.25.
A Piedmont Water spokesperson confirmed that the minimum rate for sewer usage is remaining the same. Those rates are based on the amount of water used.
Residents with a separate irrigation meter will see the same increase in the cost of water for that line but will continue to be exempt from sewer charges on the irrigation line.
As a private company, Piedmont Water is not regulated by any government body, except that EPD and EPA water quality standards must be met. Otherwise, the company is free to set its own rates. Some are negotiated with large developments and companies, which means that rates may vary across Piedmont Water’s 70 systems in 13 Georgia counties.
In 2019, Piedmont Water President Adam Shaifer told the Lake Oconee News that the Reynolds Water System agreement stipulates that rates must be comparable to those charged by municipal water systems within a 75-mile radius. It’s unclear if the new water treatment plant has triggered a change in that restriction.
For years, ground water drawn from Piedmont Water’s wells have also drawn complaints of odor, discoloring, streaking on dishes and calcium deposits on home water fixtures.
“After the transition, you won’t need a water softener anymore because lake water is soft, not as hard as ground water,” Patel told the Lake Oconee News in May. “If you have any taste or odor issues because of iron and manganese, that’s the common complaint, that will go away for sure. Spots on your dishes in dishwashers, that should disappear as well.”
The Reynolds Water System generally covers an area from Reynolds Lake Oconee to Lake Oconee Academy in Greene County, including Del Webb, The Landing, Vintage Club, as well as business and commercial properties such as St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital.
The plant began construction in October 2019 and Piedmont Water expected it to be completed in a year although EPD officials were saying that was an optimistic projection. COVID, supply chain issues, construction and other details have delayed the project which could finally be operational by the end of summer.