Two Georgia communities were awarded financing totaling $3,750,000 for water infrastructure improvements by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) executive committee.

Approved loans:

  • Lumpkin County Water and Sewerage Authority awarded a $2,500,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) conservation loan
  • City of Summerville awarded a $1,250,000 Georgia Fund loan

Project and loan details:

Lumpkin County Water and Sewerage Authority

The $2,500,000 DWSRF loan will finance upgrades and improvements to the county’s water system. The county is experiencing water loss, inadequate water storage capacity, and some components of the water supply wells are in poor condition. The project will extend and replace water main, develop and renovate wells, and install an automatic meter reading system, storage tanks, and interconnections. This project will allow the county to meet customer demand, provide water service to unincorporated areas, reduce water loss, and increase system reliability. The authority will pay 1.71% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because a portion of the project is a conservation activity.

City of Summerville

The $1,250,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance the installation of a water transmission main. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division conducted joint sampling of the city’s drinking water sources and the results exceeded EPA’s health advisory level for perfluoroalkyl substances. This project will bring the city into compliance and ensure the city’s customers have access to safe drinking water. The city will pay 2.44% interest on the 20-year loan.

Other GEFA executive committee actions:

Lee County Utilities Authority

The executive committee approved a scope modification to a $1,230,000 DWSRF loan approved on January 27, 2020.

City of Jersey

The executive committee approved a scope modification to a $825,000 DWSRF loan approved on January 27, 2020.