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September 2, 2010
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County passes on Monroe water deal
Published September 30, 2009
County officials have decided it is better to pay higher costs for a few months rather than enter into a long-term contract with the city of Monroe for water.
“Negotiations with Monroe have stopped,” Walton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Kevin Little said. “The Newton County upgrades will be on line later this year. It is just cheaper in the long run to pay (Monroe) a top-dollar price than have a guaranteed contract.”
A multi-year contract between the two entities ran out in August, where Walton County paid $1.55 per 1,000 gallons. County officials requested earlier this year to have this contract extended five years, time enough for the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir to come on line. In an Aug. 12 letter, Monroe Mayor Greg Thompson offered the county a one-year contract in which the county would have to “pay and use” 1 million gallons a day at a price of $2.70 per 1,000 gallons. In absence of a new agreement, the county will pay $3.77 per thousand gallons of water purchased.
Little indicated earlier in the year the county was not interested in a long-term contract with the city, as upgrades to the Cornish Creek Reservoir are scheduled to be completed before the end of the year. Walton County is a 25 percent stakeholder in the Newton County water project and the improvements, once complete, would bolster the county’s water share from 4 to 6.25 mgd. This is the county’s cheapest water source at $1.25 per 1,000 gallons and could meet most of the county’s water needs, with average usage between 5 and 6 mgd. System constraints are hampering the county’s ability to use all the water available from this water source, as only 3.2 mgd is currently used.
Walton County also purchases water from Oconee and Gwinnett counties, at $1.70 and $3.62 per thousand gallons, respectively, as needed during peak usage months or in dire circumstances.
Monroe has been the primary water supplier for the county dating back almost three decades. While the amount purchased may change, the county will keep the city as a supplier while improvements are being made to its system. The county is currently amidst a three-phase project to improve connectivity and transmission capacity from Loganville through Bold Springs, Campton, Gratis and Mount Vernon to Good Hope. Once complete, this loop will allow the cheaper water purchased from Cornish Creek to be conveyed to customers throughout the county.
“Our decreasing water purchases over the next year will be based upon economics,” Walton County Water Director Morris Jordan said. “Once the new Hard Labor Creek Reservoir and the water plant are completed, we will be in a position to not only supply all our water needs and meet anticipated future demand but also be in a position to sell water.”
Ground is expected to be broken early next year on the dam for the Hard Labor Creek Reservoir, scheduled for completion in 2014.
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