The City of Winder is getting $9 million low-interest loan from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority for improvements to it water system.
Winder is one of twelve Georgia communities awarded financing totaling $26.1 for water, sewer, wastewater and solid waste infrastructure improvements by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority board of directors.
Project and loan details:
City of Adairsville
The $1,848,000 DWSRF loan will finance the rehabilitation of the city’s water treatment plant, including a new water filter unit, modifications to the pumping stations, and upgrades to the chemical feed system. This project will address the need for redundancy in the city’s water distribution system and allow for a more efficient operation of its water treatment plant. The city will pay 1.55 percent on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because it’s an eligible conservation project.
Town of Argyle
The $103,000 DWSRF loan will finance the rehabilitation of the elevated water tank including repairing the tank, vent, sand blasting, pressure washing, painting the exterior and interior, and all related appurtenances. This project will resolve health issues related to water quality. The town will pay 1.89 percent on the 20-year loan, which includes principal forgiveness up to $40,000 if all funds are drawn.
Town of Bartow
The $174,000 DWSRF loan will finance the rehabilitation and repainting of an elevated water tank and all related appurtenances. The town will pay 1.40 percent on the 15-year loan.
City of Bowdon
The $1,250,000 DWSRF loan will finance upgrading to an automatic meter reading (AMR) system, installing a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, and replacing leaking water mains and service lines in the water distribution system. This project will allow the city to reduce water loss, enhance system reliability, and reduce operation and maintenance requirements. The city will pay 0.89 percent interest rate on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because it’s an eligible conservation project, and includes principal forgiveness up to $500,000 if all loan funds are drawn.
City of College Park
The $2,000,000 DWSRF loan will finance the construction of three wells to reduce the city’s dependency on purchasing water from East Point and Clayton County, and lessen demand on the Flint River during periods of drought. The city will pay 1.89 percent on the 20-year loan.
City of Damascus
The $403,000 DWSRF loan will finance the rehabilitation of the city’s existing 100,000 gallon elevated water tank, which includes leak repairs, water main repair or replacement, and repainting the tank. This project will eliminate health and safety risks associated with the city’s elevated water tank in order to improve water quality. The city will pay 1.89 percent on the 20-year loan, which includes principal forgiveness up to $161,000 if all funds are drawn out.
Fort Valley Utility Commission
The $1,000,000 CWSRF loan will finance the installation of a new oxygenation system at the Lanter Water Reclamation Facility (WRF). The project will restore the effective capacity of the Lanter WRF from 1.7 million gallons per day (MGD) to 2.2 MGD while keeping the plant effluent in applicable permit limits. The commission will pay 1.89 percent interest on the 20-year loan, which includes a principal forgiveness up to $150,000 if all funds are drawn.
City of Jesup
The $1,710,000 CWSRF loan will finance the construction of a 600 kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system adjacent to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. This project will provide energy efficiency improvements to the wastewater treatment plant and lower the overall cost for electricity to operate the plant. The city will pay 0.89 percent interest on the 20-year loan. The loan qualifies for an interest rate reduction because it’s an eligible conservation project, and includes principal forgiveness up to $427,500 if all funds are drawn.
Newton County
The $2,617,000 Georgia Fund loan will finance the remediation of contaminated sediment basins, repairs and upgrades to the leachate collection system, installation of extraction wells, and a final cover system to close phase one and two of the landfill. This project will repair and upgrade the leachate collection system and remediate contaminated sediment basins that were damaged during a heavy rain event during December 2015. The county will pay 1.39 percent on the 20-year loan, which is eligible for a reduced interest rate since Newtown County is designated as a WaterFirst Community by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
City of Rincon
The $2,540,000 DWSRF loan will finance the construction of a 250,000 gallon elevated water tank, well house, pumping station, chemical fees system, a 12-inch water main to connect to the water distribution system, installation of an emergency generator, and all related appurtenances. This project will allow the city to utilize the Lower Floridan aquifer as an additional water supply source to address current and future water demands in the north and central part of the city. The city will pay 1.89 percent on a 20-year loan.
City of Waycross
The $3,500,000 DWSRF loan will help finance replacing approximately 7,570 water meters with an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. This project will replace the current water meter system with an AMI technology that will allow for a more efficient water distribution system and more accurate water billing. The city will pay 0.65 percent interest rate on the 15-year loan. The loan qualifies for a reduced interest rate because it’s an eligible conservation project, and includes principal forgiveness up to $500,000 in all loan funds are drawn.
City of Winder
The $9,000,000 DWSRF loan will finance the construction of a 6.7 million gallons per day (MGD) raw water intake, pump station and transmission main that will deliver water from Fort Yargo Lake to the Highway 53 Water Treatment Plant. This project will allow the city to address undersized infrastructure and the emergency water source needs at the Fort Yargo raw water system. The city will pay 0.89 percent on a 20-year loan. The city is a WaterFirst designed community through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which qualifies it for a reduced interest rate.
