Eight Georgia communities were awarded financing totaling $44,684,105 for water, sewer, and wastewater projects by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) board of directors.

Approved loans:

  • Banks County Board of Commissioners awarded a $25,000,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) conservation loan
  • Blue Ridge awarded a $3,500,000 CWSRF conservation loan
  • Cuthbert awarded a $828,000 CWSRF conservation loan
  • Dallas awarded a $10,100,000 CWSRF loan increase
  • Eastman awarded a $1,285,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) conservation loan
  • Lone Oak awarded a $60,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Monroe awarded a $2,935,000 DWSRF loan
  • Sylvania awarded a $976,105 DWSRF conservation loan

Project and loan details:

Banks County Board of Commissioners

The $25,000,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance constructing a water reclamation facility and upgrading the county’s sewerage system. This project will extend the county’s sewer system to accommodate a rapidly growing industrial area for future economic growth and development. The county will pay 1.82% interest on the 30-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because a portion of the project is a conservation activity.

City of Blue Ridge

The $3,500,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance upgrading aging components of the city’s sanitary sewer system, sewer main, and equipment at the wastewater treatment plant. This project will reduce inflow and infiltration and promote effective treatment to ensure compliance. The city will pay 0.24% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because of portion of the project is a conservation activity.

City of Cuthbert

The $828,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance upgrading the city’s wastewater collection system. Components of the wastewater collection system have reached the end of their service life. This project will improve efficiency and enhance the treatment process. The city will pay 0.85% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because a portion of the project is a conservation activity. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $414,000.

City of Dallas

The $10,100,000 CWSRF loan increase will finance the construction of a new regional lift station, force main, and gravity sewer. This is the first phase of a project to extend sewer service to the West Dallas Basin, which will allow for future development of the area. The city will pay 0.13% interest on the 20-year loan, which is eligible for a reduced interest rate because the city is a WaterFirst Community. The loan was originally a $1,834,000 CWSRF engineering and planning loan approved by the GEFA board of directors in January 2021.

City of Eastman

The $1,285,000 DWSRF loan will replacing manual-read water meters with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. This project will reduce leaks, increase billing accuracy, and improve meter reading efficiency. The city will pay 0.07% on the 15-year loan. The loan will finance a conservation project, which qualifies for a reduced interest rate. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $578,250.

City of Lone Oak

The $60,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing manual-read water meters with an automatic meter reading (AMR) system. This project will reduce leaks, increase billing accuracy, and improve meter reading efficiency. The city will pay 0.13% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan will finance a conservation project, which qualifies for a reduced interest rate.

City of Monroe

The $2,935,000 DWSRF loan will finance installing an elevated storage tank and water main. The city’s current water system is experiencing low water pressure and lacks redundancy. This project will provide infrastructure improvements to serve the growing needs of the city and enhance water system reliability and redundancy. The city will pay 1.13% interest on the 20-year loan. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $1,100,000.

City of Sylvania

The $976,105 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing manual-read water meters with an automatic meter reading (AMR) system. This project will reduce leaks, increase billing accuracy, and improve meter reading efficiency. The city will pay 0.07% interest on the 15-year loan. The loan will finance a conservation project, which qualifies for a reduced interest rate. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $488,053.

Other GEFA board actions:

City of Waycross

The board approved a scope modification to a $2,500,000 CWSRF conservation loan approved in November 2020.