Twenty-one Georgia communities were awarded financing totaling $195,239,420 for water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure improvements by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) board of directors.

Approved loans:

  • City of Baldwin awarded a $1,036,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan
  • City of Baxley awarded a $1,700,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • City of Cleveland awarded a $12,656,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan
  • City of Colquitt awarded a $266,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Coosa Water Authority awarded a $1,400,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Dade County Water & Sewer Authority awarded a $3,707,420 DWSRF loan
  • DeKalb County awarded a $50,000,000 CWSRF conservation loan and a $25,000,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • City of Elberton awarded a $2,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Forsyth County awarded a $19,610,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Fort Valley Utility Commission awarded a $2,500,000 CWSRF loan and a $200,000 DWSRF loan
  • Heard County Water Authority awarded a $4,000,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • City of Lincolnton awarded a $516,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Newton County awarded a $3,000,000 Georgia Fund loan
  • City of Pooler awarded a $25,000,000 CWSRF loan
  • City of Senoia awarded a $13,600,000 CWSRF loan
  • City of Shellman awarded a $252,000 DWSRF loan
  • City of Toccoa awarded a $7,332,000 CWSRF loan
  • City of Valdosta awarded a $8,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Walker County Water & Sewerage Authority awarded a $11,400,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • City of White awarded a $464,000 CWSRF loan
  • City of Zebulon awarded a $600,000 Georgia Fund loan

Project and loan details:

City of Baldwin

The $1,036,000 DWSRF loan will finance the installation of a water transmission line. The city of Baldwin uses the city of Demorest’s piping to transmit water from Baldwin’s water treatment plant to Baldwin’s booster pump station. The city of Baldwin will install a dedicated transmission line from Baldwin’s water treatment plant to its own water distribution system. The project will improve capacity of Baldwin’s water distribution system and reduce flow from Demorest. The city will pay 1.94% interest on the 20-year loan. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $310,800.

City of Baxley

The $1,700,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance 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 0.94% interest on the 20-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 $748,609.

City of Cleveland

The $12,656,000 CWSRF loan will finance upgrading and expanding the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The plant is currently not operating at peak capacity. Upgrading and expanding the plant to a 1.5 million gallons per day facility will allow it to meet treatment standards and increasing demand due to anticipated growth. The city will pay 2.37% interest on the 25-year loan.

City of Colquitt

The $266,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing an automatic meter reading (AMR) system with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. This project will allow the city to consolidate meter reading systems for its utilities while reducing labor costs and fuel consumption associated with reading meters. The city will pay 0.94% interest on the 20-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 $106,400.

Coosa Water Authority

The $1,400,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing water lines. The authority has lost an average of 33 percent of water produced over the last five years. This project will protect human health, reduce expenses and lost time for frequent repairs, and increase system reliability. The city will pay 0.94% interest on the 20-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 $490,000.

Dade County Water & Sewer Authority

The $3,707,420 DWSRF conservation loan will finance upgrading the county’s water system and installing a new automated meter reading (AMR) system. The system currently has asbestos water main, storage tanks that have reached the end of their useful life, underperforming pump stations, and old water meters that are contributing to water loss. This project will improve the county’s water quality and enhance the system’s reliability. The authority will pay 0.64% interest on the 5-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because a portion of the project is a conservation activity.

DeKalb County

The $50,000,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance the rehabilitation of the wastewater collection and treatment system. The county is under a consent order because of chronic sanitary sewer overflows. This project will help the county comply with the Clean Water Act. The county will pay 2.28% interest on the 30-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because a portion of the project is a conservation activity.

The $25,000,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing water main. The county’s water main has aged beyond its useful life, resulting in water loss. This project will help reduce water loss. The county will pay 1.67% interest on the 30-year loan. The loan will finance a conservation project, which qualifies for a reduced interest rate.

City of Elberton

The $2,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance the rehabilitation of the city’s water treatment plant. Adding a 1 million gallon clear well and replacing service pumps will increase the plant’s pumping rate and enhance system reliability. The improvements are critical to provide water supply to the Madison County interconnection. The city will pay 1.64% 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 $900,000.

Forsyth County

The $19,610,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing an aging automatic meter reading (AMR) system and manual-read water meters with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. This project will improve water efficiency and reduce water loss. The county will pay 0.57% interest on the 15-year loan. The loan will finance a conservation project, which qualifies for a reduced interest rate.

Fort Valley Utility Commission

The $2,500,000 CWSRF loan will finance the extension of the sanitary sewer system to the relocated Peach County High School. This project will install sewer main and a lift station. The commission will pay 1.94% interest on the 20-year loan. The commission is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $1,100,000.

The $200,000 DWSRF loan will finance the installation of a water main to the relocated Peach County High School. This project will ensure that the school has adequate water supply and fire protection. The commission will pay 1.94% interest on the 20-year loan. The commission is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $100,000.

Heard County Water Authority

The $4,000,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance upgrading the capacity at the Heard County Water Treatment Facility. The authority will replace two 500,000 gallons per day filter units with two 1 million gallons per day filter units. This project will result in a more reliable water supply to meet customer demand. The authority will pay 1.72% 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 authority is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $1,500,000.

City of Lincolnton

The $516,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance upgrading the water treatment plant, refurbishing an elevated water tank, and replacing manual-read water meters with an automatic meter reading (AMR) system. This project will reduce leaks, increase billing accuracy, and enhance system reliability. The city will pay 1.53% 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 $154,800.

Newton County

The $3,000,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance the construction of a landfill cell. The county’s landfill capacity is anticipated to be filled by December 2021. An additional waste area is required prior to this date to continue operations. This project will add approximately 740,000 cubic yards of volume and 6.75 years of additional landfill life. The city will pay 1.44% interest on the 20-year loan, which is eligible for a reduced interest rate because Newton County is a WaterFirst Community.

City of Pooler

The $25,000,000 CWSRF loan will finance the expansion of the wastewater treatment plant, which is currently operating at 80% capacity. The treatment plant capacity will expand from 3.3 million gallons per day to 6.223 million gallons per day. The project will utilize both new and existing treatment basins and equipment to increase capacity. The city will pay 0.94% interest on the 20-year loan, which is eligible for a reduced interest rate because the city of Pooler is a WaterFirst Community.

City of Senoia

The $13,600,000 CWSRF loan will finance the construction of a 1 million gallons per day water pollution control plant. The number of residential, commercial, and industrial customers has increased significantly. This project will meet the projected demands for residential and commercial development. The city will pay 2.52% 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 Shellman

The $252,000 DWSRF loan will finance the rehabilitation of the elevated water storage tank. The city received a Notice of Violation that identified several rust areas. This project will bring the water system into compliance and ensure safe drinking water to its customers. The city will pay 1.57% interest on the 15-year loan. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $115,500.

City of Toccoa

The $7,332,000 CWSRF loan will finance upgrading the city’s water pollution control plant. The headworks create a hydraulic bottleneck that results in sewer overflow during heavy rainfall. This project will increase flow capacity, help eliminate hydraulic restrictions, and prevent future noncompliance issues. The city will pay 2.17% interest on the 30-year loan, which is eligible for a reduced interest rate because the city of Toccoa is a PlanFirst Community. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $1,000,000.

City of Valdosta

The $8,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance replacing manual-read water meters with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. The city is not capturing its full revenue potential due to meter inaccuracies and is unable to quickly identify leaks. The project will reduce water loss and increase billing accuracy and meter reading efficiency. The city will pay 0.94% interest on the 20-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 $500,000.

Walker County Water & Sewerage Authority

The $11,400,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance membrane filtration equipment and required upgrades at the Chickamauga Water Treatment Plant. The improvements will provide the authority with a reliable water supply, improve water quality, and reduce turbidity. The authority will pay 1.60% 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 White

The $464,000 CWSRF loan will finance improvements to the city’s stormwater system. The city is experiencing drainage issues at the stormwater ditch on Richards Road. The stormwater pipes are deteriorating and need to be replaced. This project will reduce flooding and improve water conveyance. The city will pay 1.94% interest on the 20-year loan.

City of Zebulon

The $600,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance the installation of water main and sewer force main. This project will provide water and sewer services to a proposed U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021. The city will pay 2.44% interest on the 20-year loan.

Other GEFA board actions:

Town of Braselton

The board approved a $100,000 increase to a $580,000 CWSRF loan approved in January 2020.

City of Concord

The board ratified an emergency loan authorized by the GEFA executive director. The city received a $285,000 Georgia Fund loan to make repairs to the city’s water treatment plant. The city will pay 2.44% interest on the 20-year loan.