The brand-new Piedmont Water Company treatment plant could be only weeks away from going online. The $15 million facility is complete, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division has approved the results of a 30-day quality check of water processed by the plant.
The treatment plant will serve the Reynolds Water System, which includes Reynolds Lake Oconee properties in Greene County and other residential communities, such as Del Webb and Vintage Club. Other residences, businesses and offices as far north as Lake Oconee Academy are included.
The company only needs an official drinking water permit from the EPD. The EPD’s Drinking Water Program Manager Manny Patel told the Lake Oconee News Tuesday that they are still working on the official drinking water permit. Once that is issued, Piedmont Water can start using the treatment plant.
“We’re excited to finally be here,” Piedmont Water President Adam Shaifer told the Lake Oconee News. “Everybody’s ready to get it started.”
Originally discussed in 2015, with a completion date of fall 2018, the project did not start construction until October 2019 and was completed earlier this year.
Shaifer said they intend to communicate start-up plans to the affected customers and start pumping “as soon as possible.”
When the switchover occurs, Piedmont Water will stop drawing groundwater from about 22 wells now serving the area and begin pulling as much as two million gallons of surface water per day out of Lake Oconee. The company says its agreement with Georgia Power allows as much as five million gallons a day to be used.
As the Lake Oconee News reported in May, Patel says customers will taste the difference.
Surface water has fewer minerals and is less alkaline than well water. In the summer, some people might taste more chlorine than they’re used to.
“After the transition, you won’t need a water softener anymore because lake water is soft, not as hard as groundwater,” he said. “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 should disappear as well.”
Last month, Piedmont Water implemented an expected rate increase for customers of the new facility. The base rate for up to 2,000 gallons of water increased by 23 percent.
Charges for water beyond the base rate were higher.
For example, usage between 2,001 and 5,000 gallons was billed at $7.50 per 1,000 additional gallons but now costs $10.25, a 37 percent hike.
This will be the 105th water treatment plant in Georgia and the first to be operated by a private company. Patel says there are 2,377 total water systems in the state.
Some are large, others are wells that serve one family or one business. Of the systems, 1,561 are privately owned, like Piedmont Water. Municipal, county or other government bodies operate 816 systems, according to Patel.