Water to Harrison

Resident and poultry farmer Larry Cox told board members that he lives on Ginn Hill, the “highest and driest part of Madison County.”

“We’re in a bad way,” Cox said. “… we’re all nervous about the water, especially chicken farmers.”

Cox said their District Commissioner (John Pethel) has done all he can do but that the current county commission chairman had told them he had “made it clear” that water for their area was “on hold” for at least five more years.

“Well, we can’t wait that long, we need help. What can you do to help us?,” Cox asked.

Fire chief Wayne Smith, who is also a poultry farmer, told the board that for him “to fight a fire right now is a problem.” He said the department’s current ISO rating is “9” and that there is no hope of improving it until they can obtain a better water supply.

He said each poultry house in the community is using about 2,000 gallons of water per day during the heat of summer, with an average of 1,000 gallons per day per house year round.

“It’s scary up there, we don’t know when we’re going to have water, or not,” Cox said.

The project will be done in three phases. Phase I will install water lines from the city of Royston at the Franklin County line near Shirley Road, down Hwy. 281 (Wildcat Bridge Road) to the Harrison Volunteer Fire Department.
IDA executive director Marvin White said the IDA and the city of Royston would work out an intergovernmental agreement for Royston to sell water to Madison County. If all goes as planned and the GEFA application is approved, the work on Phase I could be completed by the end of the year, White said Tuesday.

Phases II and III of the project will make a loop from the fire station to Cheek Pulliam Road, Hannah’s Creek Road and then back to the Franklin County line.

IDA executive director Marvin White said $766,000 of the proposed funds would be in the form of a grant, with the remainder, about $1.5 million, awarded as a no interest loan. These funds are part of the water emergency grant funds the state has provided to GEFA, White said.