Potential county waste treatment plant discussed

Engineer Chris Quigley met Aug. 9 with representatives of the county commission, school system, industrial authority and county municipalities to discuss long-term sewerage strategies for the county.

No actions were taken that evening. And the group agreed to seek input from various communities in Madison County on potential sewerage upgrades.

Quigley suggested leaders consider linking sewer systems together in the county by establishing a regional sewage treatment plant. His proposal includes sewerage services for industrial and commercial development, sewerage services for the Colbert/Hull area and sewage treatment services for Comer, Danielsville and eventually for other cities, such as Ila and Carlton.

“A possible site of the new regional facility could be along the South Fork of the Broad River in the southern portion of the county,” wrote Quigley in his proposal to the group of leaders on hand Aug. 9. “This is the low point where eventually everything could flow to by gravity.”

Quigley, who is working with Oglethorpe County to implement sewerage services, said he prefers to secure grant funding for sewer projects before any definite plans are made. He noted that considerable grant funding is available for such projects through state and federal sources, but there is a lot of paperwork involved.

“I want to know what the maximum grant amount I can get, plus what loan is attached to that,” he said.

Quigley estimated that the Madison County proposal would run between $6 million to $9 million, but added that a large portion of that could be covered through grants and low-interest loans. He said the project, if approved, would take about three years: a year in planning, a year in design and a year in construction.

“I think this project makes a lot of sense,” said Quigley.

Sewerage systems are seen as necessary before major commercial development will commit to an area. Leaders spoke about the inevitability of growth in the county in coming years. But they said sewerage systems will help the county control that growth, with businesses coming to areas with sewerage services.

“We’ll see northeast Georgia grow,” said industrial authority executive director Marvin White. “But we want to see quality growth, not just anything and everything.”

While Madison County leaders gathered last week to hear the proposal, neighboring Oglethorpe County plans to construct a similar $7.3 million sewerage system in the fall, with sewer lines from Crawford and Lexington connecting to a waste treatment plant off Hwy. 78.

Though the possibility of a county sewerage system is an idea in its infancy, but the city of Danielsville faces immediate and major sewerage issues. Danielsville, which serves the county schools in the city, is facing an estimated $2 million in mandated sewerage upgrades to stay in compliance with state guidelines. Meanwhile, the contract between the city and the schools on sewerage services will soon be up for renewal. So, incorporating the sewerage overhaul into the plans for a regional treatment plant could be an option for the city, which faces considerable sewerage upgrade costs in the next couple of years.

While Madison County mayors didn’t offer a “yes” or a “no” on the proposal, they agreed to seek input from each city.
“If we’re going to do this, I’d like to see us do it right, not just piecemeal here and there,” said Colbert Mayor Chris Peck.
City leaders questioned who would be responsible for maintaining sewer lines within cities. Quigley said there are various options on dealing with such matters.

And Dove said such details could be addressed later, adding that the Aug. 9 session was an opportunity for leaders to hear the proposal and go out and seek input on whether such a system would or wouldn’t be favored by the community.

“This is just a concept we want feedback on,” said Dove. “… You’ve got to start somewhere.”