Sept. 16, 2013
|
County Water and Sewer Authority expands coverage area By SCOTT WRIGHT CENTRE — Add the Cherokee County Water and Sewer Authority to the list of organizations getting involved in the ongoing efforts to rid Weiss Lake of raw sewage. Water and Sewer Authority Manager Sid Garrett sat down with The Post last week to talk about his group's efforts to expand county sewage to an extensive area of lakefront homes near Leesburg in the Hopewell community. “We began this three-phase project in 2005 with a five-mile line from our sewage treatment plant behind the Fruit of the Loom facility to the Chesnut Bay Resort,” Garrett explained. Garrett said phase two, completed in 2009, extended off that line and ran down County Road 349. Later on in that phase of the project, a line was laid down County Road 359. Phase three, which is scheduled to be completed and in operation by Oct. 1, covers the homes that sit on county roads 355, 405 and 146, Garrett said. The entire project cost around $800,000. “We were able to use federal grants, which pay for fifty percent of the cost, to fund all three phases,” Garrett said. Garrett said the Authority is now able to offer sewage service to hundreds of additional customers and estimates they have already connected around half the homes where the sewage lines have been installed. “We knew going in that we were going to get over half the homes as soon as the work was completed because we mailed out surveys to all the homeowners and asked if they would be willing to connect,” Garrett said. The lines all connect to a $2 million Aquarobics SBR sewage treatment plant that cleans the water with disinfectant and ultraviolet lights before returning it to the lake. The plant was originally constructed to coincide with the construction of the KTH automotive plant in Leesburg. “The plant does a terrific job,” Garrett said. “When the treated water comes out after being treated, it's as clear as the water from your faucet.” Garrett said the Authority originally decided to seek out the funding for the project because many of the homes in the area have failing or inadequate septic systems that contribute to the pollution of Weiss Lake. Since beginning construction, Garrett said the Authority has found good partners in Alabama Power Company and the Cherokee County Health Department. “The Health Department was skeptical of getting involved at first, but since the County Commission passed the new sewage ordinance we've been able to work together really well to help solve part of the pollution problem in Weiss Lake,” Garrett said. “And Alabama Power has been great to work with, too. We all have a common goal—to clean up Weiss Lake.” The sewage ordinance, which the Health Department has been enforcing since April, outlines a procedure for installing state-approved sewage holding tanks at thousands of lakefront properties. Garrett said considering all the emphasis on cleaning up Weiss Lake, he thinks the Authority's $500 tap fee is a bargain for the service and peace of mind that connecting offers. “The Board has worked really hard to keep that price down, and it won't always be that low,” Garrett said. “It's lower than almost all the other similar fees in this region and we're going to continue to try and keep the cost as low as possible.” Garrett said anyone in the Hopewell area considering a switch to the new service should come by the Water and Sewer Authority office on Main Street in Centre to pick up a spec sheet so they can make sure to install the proper pump. “We're going to keep working on getting people to connect, one tap at a time,” Garrett said. “There are some good things happening in this community and we want to keep it going.”. |