Eleven communities were awarded financing totaling $33,306,950 for water and wastewater projects by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) board of directors.

Approved loans:

  • Attapulgus awarded a $1,230,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) lead service line loan
  • Dalton Utilities awarded a $10,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Gordon awarded a $739,000 DWSRF lead service line loan
  • Homerville awarded a $5,000,000 Georgia Fund loan
  • LaFayette awarded a $3,930,000 Georgia Fund loan
  • LaGrange awarded a $4,992,600 DWSRF loan
  • Monroe awarded a $365,000 DWSRF lead service line loan
  • Nicholls awarded a $282,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) conservation loan
  • Oliver awarded a $75,000 DWSRF lead service line loan
  • St. Marys awarded a $3,400,000 Georgia Fund loan
  • Swainsboro awarded a $2,793,350 DWSRF conservation loan

Project and loan details:

City of Attapulgus

The $1,230,000 DWSRF lead service line loan will finance an inventory and replacement of potential lead service lines and galvanized service lines requiring replacement in the water system. The city will pay no interest on the 20-year loan.

Dalton Utilities

The $10,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing approximately 150,000 to 200,000 linear feet of existing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping with ductile iron pipe. This project will improve system reliability, reduce water loss and the risk of pipe failures and service disruptions, and extend the operational life of the water distribution system. Dalton Utilities will pay 2.03% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to the project being a conservation activity.

City of Gordon

The $739,000 DWSRF lead service line loan will finance an inventory and replacement of potential lead service lines and galvanized service lines requiring replacement in the water system. The city will pay no interest on the 20-year loan. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $197,520.

City of Homerville

The $5,000,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance modifications to the city’s water pollution control plant necessary to meet its discharge permit limits. The city will pay 3.53% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because the city meets GEFA’s affordability criteria. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $3,000,000.

City of LaFayette

The $3,930,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance constructing a new water interconnection with the Walker County Water & Sewerage Authority and installing approximately 16,100 linear feet of 20-inch water transmission main with a backflow prevention vault. This project will improve system redundancy and expand water supply capacity for economic development. The city will pay no interest on the 40-year loan.

City of LaGrange

The $4,992,600 DWSRF loan will finance replacing water main due to the widening of South Davis Road by the Georgia Department of Transportation. The city will pay 3.52% interest on the 30-year loan.

City of Monroe

The $365,000 DWSRF lead service line loan will finance an inventory and replacement of potential lead service lines and galvanized service lines requiring replacement in the water system. The city will pay no interest on the 20-year loan.

City of Nicholls

The $282,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance rehabilitating sewer main to address significant inflow and infiltration in the system. The city will pay 1.53% on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because the city meets GEFA’s affordability criteria and for the project being a conservation activity. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $169,200.

City of Oliver

The $75,000 DWSRF lead service line loan will finance an inventory and replacement of potential lead service lines and galvanized service lines requiring replacement in the water system. The city will pay no interest on the 20-year loan. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $29,000.

City of St. Marys

The $3,400,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance rehabilitating lift stations to improve the ability to accommodate current inflows from upstream lift stations and anticipated flows from planned development within the service area. The city will pay 4.03% interest on the 20-year loan.

City of Swainsboro

The $2,793,350 DWSRF conservation loan will finance installing an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system and creating a new GIS database. This project will reduce leaks, increase billing accuracy, and improve water quality. The city will pay 0.79% interest on the 10-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because the city meets GEFA’s affordability criteria, is a PlanFirst Community, and the project includes conservation activities. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $500,000.

Other GEFA board actions:

Loan Program Policy

The board approved a loan program policy for the Natural Gas Infrastructure Financing Program.

The board approved updates to the loan program policy to increase the CWSRF and DWSRF project limits to $20 million and to clarify the process for establishing and updating interest rates.

City of Alma

The board approved a new interest rate for a $12,000,000 CWSRF loan originally approved in May 2026.