Well, that question has no answer right now.
But the Madison County Industrial Development and Building Authority met with residents of the area twice this week to discuss the possibility of running a water line from Franklin County into the Harrison area, then eventually linking that line with the county’s Madico Park water system.
Several residents in the Harrison district appeared before the county industrial authority in July to plea for water assistance. And the IDA agreed to apply for state funding to provide water in Harrison.
But other Harrison residents appeared before the authority Monday evening to ask that the area not be included in the county’s water plans.
Those opposed to the plan questioned the logic of running a water line to the sparsely populated area. They said water lines to other areas with more people make more sense, that the proposed line to Harrison would benefit a few residents, not the entire community, and that county water in Harrison would open the door for unwanted development in the area. They expressed concerns that the line might not pay for itself, leaving county taxpayers to foot the bill.
Harrison area chicken farmer Larry Parham told the IDA that lack of water for his farm is a “scary” prospect.
“But I don’t expect any taxpayers to pay for water for me at my chicken houses,” said Parham.
Carlton resident Chip Chandler said the proposal for water in the Harrison area is not in line with the comprehensive land use plan, since that area is not part of the county’s proposed high growth zones.
“When we run these lines, we’re not following the comprehensive plan,” said Chandler.
While opponents of the plan controlled most of the discussion during Monday’s IDA meeting, the authority held a public hearing at 10 a.m. the next day and spent most of that meeting outlining the group’s long-term water strategies for the county, while noting how a Harrison system is in line with its big picture planning.
Authority members noted that an anticipated 85,000 people will live in Madison County by 2055. They said that water infrastructure needs to match the population growth. Authority members expressed a desire to have an interconnected, countywide water system, which loops together small water systems in various parts of the county. On top of that, they say it’s important to connect Madison County to water systems outside of the county, such as Franklin County’s, where water rates are currently very low. The establishment of a Harrison water system with a line from Franklin County is a step forward in that long-term strategic goal of interlinking systems within the county, as well as outside of the county.
Meanwhile, authority members say that they are working to develop water sources within Madison County to supply expected growth in coming years. They are trying to get withdrawal permits for the 90-acre lake at Brush Creek and taking steps toward establishing the 50-acre Seagraves Lake, which has dam structure problems, as a viable county water source.
IDA chairman Bruce Azevedo said the authority will face second guessing from the public no matter what it does, but he says the IDA is committed to long-term planning for growth.
“The problem in being in the IDA and looking long term is if 10 years from now, if all of the sudden there’s a big water problem, and you can’t put water in parts of the county, people will look at us and say ‘what have those guys been doing for the last 10 years?’” said Azevedo. “And then if you go ahead and put the water in, then you have got another problem because you have people saying, ‘Are you trying to trying to get subdivisions in every part of the county?’ I mean you can’t win for losing, but you’ve got to prepare for growth.”
Azevedo and other authority members said the Harrison proposal is far from a done deal. They said the state won’t approve funding for the water system unless it appears to be financially feasible.
Parham estimated that there are 100 people who could be served by the water initially. He estimated that with so few customers, those residents would have to pay about $50 a month in order for the line to pay for itself.
“A lot of people can’t afford that,” he said.
Industrial Authority Executive Director Marvin White said the proposed system in Harrison is just a start, that more residents will be able to hook into the system over time.
White said that the state has $40 million up for grabs this year for water services in Georgia communities. He said it makes sense for Madison County to apply for that funding.
The county industrial authority expects to get a response on whether the state will approve funding for the project in early November. The group also plans to meet with Harrison residents at the Harrison Fire Department to discuss the proposal, though no date for that meeting has been set.
