Thirteen Georgia communities were awarded financing totaling $74,525,160 for water, wastewater, and sewer projects by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) board of directors.

Approved loans:

  • Dublin awarded a $600,000 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan
  • Hahira awarded a $7,000,000 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) loan and a $200,000 CWSRF loan
  • Hart County Water and Sewer Authority awarded a $4,985,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Hoschton awarded a $12,000,000 CWSRF loan and a $8,000,000 Georgia Fund loan
  • Locust Grove awarded a $12,000,000 CWSRF loan
  • Moultrie awarded a $2,000,000 CWSRF conservation loan
  • Pine Mountain awarded a $840,060 Georgia Fund loan
  • Richmond Hill awarded a $3,250,000 Georgia Fund loan
  • Shellman awarded a $250,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Social Circle awarded a $4,132,500 Georgia Fund conservation loan and a $1,271,500 Georgia Fund loan
  • Sylvester awarded a $7,000,000 CWSRF loan and a $4,500,000 DWSRF conservation loan
  • Wrightsville awarded a $5,286,100 Georgia Fund loan
  • Zebulon awarded a $1,210,000 CWSRF conservation loan

Project and loan details:

City of Dublin

The $600,000 CWSRF loan will finance rehabilitating and extending the city’s sewer system. The city’s sanitary sewer system experienced heavy inflow and infiltration during Hurricane Michael. This project will improve capacity and mitigate inflow and infiltration. The city will pay 1.80% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to GEFA’s affordability criteria.

City of Hahira

The $7,000,000 CWSRF loan will finance upgrading the wastewater pollution control plant. This project will improve the reliability and efficiency of the plant and ensure compliance with water quality standards. The city will pay 3.42% interest on the 30-year loan.

The $200,000 DWSRF loan will finance engineering costs related to the construction of a new well. One of the wells is inoperable and leaves the city operating solely on a single well. This project will give the city a backup water source and improve water quality and reliability. The city will pay 2.85% interest on the 20-year loan.

Hart County Water and Sewer Authority

The $4,985,000 DWSRF conservation loan will finance extending water lines to residents currently on private wells and small, privately-owned systems. This project will provide safe, sanitary, and reliable water service. The city will pay 1.99% interest on the five-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to GEFA’s affordability criteria and a portion of the project being a conservation activity. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $2,492,500.

City of Hoschton

The $12,000,000 CWSRF loan and the $8,000,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance upgrading the city’s wastewater treatment plant and constructing a new force main to discharge to Indian Creek. This project will provide reliable treatment and effluent quality for future population growth. The city will pay 2.85% interest on the 20-year CWSRF loan and 3.35% interest on the 20-year Georgia Fund loan.

City of Locust Grove

The $12,000,000 CWSRF loan will finance improving the city’s wastewater collection system and rehabilitating the Indian Creek Water Pollution Control Plant. This project will increase treatment capacity to accommodate flow projections for the area. The city will pay 2.85% interest on the 20-year loan.

City of Moultrie

The $2,000,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance rehabilitating the city’s sewer system. This project will reduce inflow and infiltration, improve efficiency, and protect public health. The city will pay 0.83% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to GEFA’s affordability criteria and the project being a conservation activity. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $1,500,000.

Town of Pine Mountain

The $840,060 Georgia Fund loan will finance the construction of a new water tank and a prefabricated treatment building. The town is experiencing mechanical and operational issues and needs more storage for treated water. This project will improve water quality, safety, and reliability of the water system. The town will pay 3.22% interest on the 30-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to GEFA’s affordability criteria.

City of Richmond Hill

The $3,250,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance the construction of an elevated storage tank and water main. The city is experiencing significant growth. This project will allow the city to meet the growing needs of its residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and enhance public safety infrastructure to critical facilities. The city will pay 2.35% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to the city being a WaterFirst Community.

City of Shellman

The $250,000 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 no interest on the loan since the total amount is eligible for principal forgiveness.

City of Social Circle

The $4,132,500 Georgia Fund conservation loan will finance constructing and rehabilitating the water main, installing high voltage electrical equipment, and upgrading the SCADA system. This project will increase water supply and improve plant operational efficiency and safety. The city will pay 3.10% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to a portion of the project being a conservation activity.

The $1,271,500 Georgia Fund loan will finance the rehabilitation of the city’s water treatment plant. The city has declared the need for emergency repairs to ensure the reliability of its drinking water supply. This project will improve water quality and operational efficiency to better serve the city’s customers. The city will pay 3.35% interest on the 20-year loan.

City of Sylvester

The $7,000,000 CWSRF loan will finance improvements to the city’s wastewater treatment facility. This project will improve water quality, safety, and ensure redundancy and reliability. The city will pay 1.28% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to GEFA’s affordability criteria. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $5,000,000.

The $4,500,000 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 1.28% interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to GEFA’s affordability criteria and the project being a conservation activity. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $2,250,000.

City of Wrightsville

The $5,286,100 Georgia Fund loan will finance constructing a million gallon per day sequencing batch reactor water pollution control plant. This project will increase treatment capacity and ensure compliance with water quality standards. The city will pay no interest on the 40-year loan.

City of Zebulon

The $1,210,000 CWSRF conservation loan will finance installing a pump station, force main, and gravity sewer. A new lift station and force main are needed to connect the existing commercial park to the city’s sewer system, which will increase capacity for both existing and future customers. This project will extend the city’s sewer system to accommodate the new commercial development for continued economic growth. The city will pay 2.86% interest on the 30-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate due to a portion of this project being a conservation activity.

Other GEFA Board Actions:

Annual Operating Budget

The GEFA board approved the GEFA annual operating budget for fiscal year 2025.

Annual Program Limits

The GEFA board approved annual loan program limits for fiscal year 2025 for the Georgia Fund ($120 million), CWSRF ($165 million), and DWSRF ($95 million).

Resolution

The GEFA board approved a resolution requesting approval by the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission for the total multiyear Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contracting value authority for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

Town of Byromville

The board approved updated terms and a $485,000 increase to an ASADRA DWSRF loan originally approved in August 2021.

City of Doerun

The board approved a $260,000 increase to a DWSRF loan approved in August 2019.

City of Wrightsville

The board approved a $5,000,000 increase to a CWSRF loan approved in May 2022. The city is eligible for principal forgiveness up to $4,000,000.