About Lake Oconee news. (Greensboro, GA) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2017)
Page A2 Lake Oconee News Friday, February 17,2017 GREENE COUNTY Piedmont Water to build treatment plant, use Lake Oconee Mark Engel engel@lakeoconeenews.us Delivering on a promise made to customers in November 2015, Piedmont Water has announced that a new $8 million surface water treatment plant will be built off Lake Oconee Trail in southern Greene County. Residents of Reynolds Lake Oconee, including Reynolds Landing, as well as surrounding commer cial properties and Del Webb community were sent letters this week announc ing the new facility, accord ing to Adam Shaifer, pres ident of Piedmont Water. He says about 10,000 resi dents will benefit from the project. When it opens, projected to be Fall 2018, the facility will be able to draw up to 2 million gallons of water a day out of Lake Oconee. “Based on current average usage, [that] is more than enough during the peak summer months. As demand increases, the treatment plant can be expanded,” according to the letter sent to customers. It also promises “water from a surface treatment plant will be a softer, less mineral-lad en protect that we believe will be more pleasing.” Both Piedmont Water CEO Jerry Shaifer and president Adam Shaifer declined to be interviewed this week by the Lake Oconee News, but Adam Shaifer answered email questions through their public relations company. So, how will the new facility impact water rates? Shaifer said Tuesday that’s “not [been] determined at this time, but rates will continue to be set in ac cordance with the con tractual limitations in place since 1995.” When Piedmont Water purchased the Reynolds system, it in herited a long-term agree ment prohibiting rates to be higher than any city or county provider within 75 miles of the development, WWW.CBLAKEOCONEE.COM according to Shaifer. But, in a 12-page letter to customers in November 2015, the Shaifers indicated they had already acquired a site for the plant, secured funding and held a long term contract with Georgia Power for water from Lake Oconee. “The dilemma,” they wrote at the time, “is that, at the current customer level, the additional costs to supply water from such a facility would be $25 per month for each customer, a number which would be un acceptable to many.” They said they did not proceed with the project then, hoping that an improved real estate market would allow them to “partially fund” operating costs with tap fees from new construc tion. This week, Shaifer did not indicate whether or not customers would have help paying for the new treat ment plant. The November 2015 letter came as the result of a public uproar on the social media application Nextdoor over Piedmont Water’s water quality, rates and the odor of the utility’s sewer system. Piedmont Water is a private utility that is only regulated for water quality by the Georgia Environ mental Protects Division of the Department of Natural Resources. In Georgia, the Public Service Com mission does not regulate water systems. Most are controlled by city or county governments. Piedmont’s water and sewer rates, other services and customer service are not regulated by any gov ernmental agency. “I’m excited for the people that live in the area that Piedmont serves,” said Greene County Commis sioner Ernie Filice, whose district includes the area to be served by the new treatment plant. “It will mean a huge increase in the quality of the water. I think it’s going to mean that the homeowners will not need all the sophisticated systems in their house.” Currently, water comes from underground aquifers, pumped from more than 20 wells. The quality of this water can vary based on the amount and types of minerals it contains. “Aquifers in the Piedmont region generally contain reasonably hard water,” the Shaifers said in November 2015, “and we have found the Reynolds system to be among the most trouble some.” Shaifer says the water is “treated at each source with chlorine and various types of advanced filtration systems. But in December 2016, the Piedmont Water/Reynolds system was slapped with six violations of water quality. The Georgia EPD website confirmed that five of the violations were for exceeding allowed levels of Combined Radium (-226 & -228) during tests conduct ed from Oct. 1,2015 to June 30, 2016. Piedmont water shut down the three wells where the violations occurred. With the switch to surface water from Lake Oconee, Shaifer told the Lake Oconee News Tuesday that “most of the wells will be taken out of service at the time the plant is made operational.” The treatment plant is to be located “just off Lake Oconee Trail,” according to the letter sent to cus tomers this week but an internet search of county tax records this week does not show Piedmont Water owning property along Lake Oconee Trail or its immediate side roads. All land appears to be owned by Metropolitan Life which owns Reynolds. Shaifer said the project is funded only with Piedmont Water’s “private resources” and that Reynolds Lake Oconee is not helping pay for the cost of the plant. He said the project is in the design stages and con struction is expected to begin later this year. Shaifer indicated that several new jobs will be created to operate the facility. Piedmont Water says it will host a meeting “in the coming weeks” to address questions that custom ers might have about the project. CLARIFICATION In an article in last week's Lake Oconee News ("Piedmont Water seeks renewal of wastewater permit from EPD"), Piedmont Water was identified as an "unregulated, privately-owned company." The term "unregulated" was meant to indicate that rates, services and customer service are not regulated by the Georgia Public Service Commission or any state, county, municipal or governmental body. However, the state Environmental Protection Division does have oversight of the quality of the water processed by Piedmont Water and the company is subject to both scheduled and unscheduled quality testing on a regular basis. Get breaking news online! www.lakeoconeenews.us and we're on Facebook! MORGAN COUNTY Madison approves used car sales for pawn shop, receives land gift INTRODUCING the Area’s Most Outstanding Memory Care and Assisted Living OPENING SOON AT THE GLEN Coming to Lake Oconee, The Glen will offer cutting-edge Memory Care programming in a dedicated neighborhood. The Glen also will elevate Assisted Living to a new level of sophistication and convenience. So whether your needs call for exceptional licensed supportive care, or Independent Living with the ambiance of a resort, you will know you have chosen the best. Katherine Klimt katherine@lakoconeenews.us Monday evening’s city council meeting was eventful all around, even outside of the controversial planned residential districts discus sion covered elsewhere in this paper. During the Feb. 13 session, the city approved the sale of used cars at a pawn shop, accepted a small land gift, and appointed three new committee members. Michael Ghioto, pro prietor of 441 Pawn on Eatonton Road, had pre viously requested the Planning and Zoning Com mission for a conditional use permit to allow the sale of a small number of used cars on his pawn shop property. Ghioto explained that the shop would at most sell between two and six cars per year, and that after sale, each individual vehicle would remain in the shop’s parking lot for a very limited amount of time. The permit was subject to a public hearing, but proved uncontroversial. City planning director Monica Callahan did have to allay some concerns on the part of council members, who worried that Ghioto’s request would set a prece dent for those who may wish to establish used car lots in commercial spaces designat ed for other uses. Callahan explained that granting a conditional use request does not establish precedent, as each individual case would have to submit a proposal to the city council. Callahan then present ed the council with a gift from Madison’s Murray family, who have granted a two-acre lot adjacent to Elm Street to be developed as a future playground. Joe Diletto took the opportunity to remember Chris Murray, who passed away of a heart attack last year. The gift was unanimously accepted by the council. Lastly, there are three new appointments to city and county committees. Patsy Harris was approved for a three-year term in the Cemetery Stewardship Commission, Richmond Wall was appointed to the Planning and Zoning Com mission for a two-year term and Angela Daniel was re-appointed for a six-year tenure in the Morgan County Board of Health. Call 706-999-3535 to learn more. THE fi!GLEN Resort-Style Retirement Living sb Managed by Life Care Services* Leasing Office: 1000 Cowles Clinic Way Elm Cottage, Suite E-100 Greensboro, GA 30642 TheGlenLakeOconee.com LAKE COUNTRY Local students make Alabama honors lists Memory Care Assisted Living Independent Living Several local students enrolled during the 2016 fall semester at the University of Alabama were named to the /M PINNACLE CREDIT UNION PUTNAM UOUNTY BRANCH OF PINNACLE CREDIT UNION 1076 Lake Oconee Pkwy. Eatonton, Ga. 31024 706-485-2039 ■ www.pinnaclecu.org LCNDFR Loan rates are based on credit, term and collateral. APR=annual percentage rate. Credit restrictions apply. Pinnacle Credit Union loans are excluded from the refinance offer. Offer is subject to change without notice. We ore an Equal Opportunity Lender. dean’s list with an academic record of 3.5 (or above) or the president’s list with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s). Local students qualify ing for dean’s list honors included: Laura Kathryn Hollingsworth of Bishop, Julia Camden Roper of Greensboro, Chandler Reid Reynolds of Greens boro, Katharine S Broach of Madison and Jordan A. Tinnell of Watkinsville. Local students qualify ing for the president’s list included: Jasmyne Williams of Madison and Austin S. Coates of Watkinsville. THRIFT SHOP •Medical Equipment Check Out •Local Assistance •Food for Friends All proceeds benefit Putnam Co. Citizens 706.485.4066 151 Industrial Blvd. P.O. Box 3971 Eatonton, GA 31024 (across from Haband) SERVING THOSE IN NEED Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 8am - 5pm Wed, Sat: 8am - 2pm
