Each member (regardless of the size of its system) is able to take advantage of the low wholesale price of water in Newton County. The agreement allows for water to be wheeled through each member’s distribution system without accumulating wheeling charges.
Several years ago, the utilities signed the “Consecutive System Agreement” to create the “Newton County Water System.” This agreement facilitates a unified approach to all aspects of potable water supply, treatment, protection, and distribution. Five systems convey wastewater to customers in Newton County, and three systems have wastewater treatment facilities. All of the original “consecutive water systems” deliver water throughout Newton County, operating and maintaining their own water lines, valves, and tank. In addition, there are emergency interconnections with Rockdale County, Henry County, and the City of Social Circle. Newton County is also a wholesaler, providing drinking water to Walton County (which owns 25% of the reservoir and Cornish Creek Water Plant), the Jasper County Water and Sewage Authority, and the Alcovy Shores Water and Sewage Authority. Many communities say they want to pursue WaterFirst but feel like “it’s complicated.” But can any situation be more complex than Newton County’s? The post on “ What’s in it for the Smaller Partners?” includes a diagram of the Newton County “consecutive water system.” There were seven original entities that make up this consecutive water system, including the Newton County Board of Commissioners (the wholesale provider of water that operates the two water production plants) the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority (NCWSA) and the cities of Covington, Oxford, Porterdale, Mansfield and Newborn. ( Click here for a list of all fifty-four current designees.) So, communities of different sizes are collaborating with their neighbors to apply for WaterFirst because without this joint application approach, some communities are limited in the administrative capacity to meet the comprehensive list of requirements to achieve WaterFirst designation. An analysis of population size also showed that large size does not dictate whether applications for WaterFirst were joint. Other examples include the cities of Jefferson, Pooler, and Thunderbolt. The City of Rome in Floyd County, for instance, has held a WaterFirst designation since 2007. In fact, twenty of the fifty-four WaterFirst designees across the state are part of a partnership or joint application as shown in Figure 1.Īs the map shows, there is some concentration of designees in the Atlanta metropolitan area, but there are also several WaterFirst designees in other parts of the state. Through separate interviews, a common theme that the partners emphasized was that they could not have achieved the designation alone.
Newton County is a good example of the need for collaboration because of the many partners involved in this joint designation. Need for a Willingness to Collaborate - Joint Applications Based on the prestige of the designation, and the financial benefits that ensue, this post looks at the reasons behind the successes of some WaterFirst designees, and potential hurdles that may limit broader participation in the program.
Newton county water and sewage in ga series#
Instead, the designees are very diverse, as this post will highlight.Īs the first post in this series describes, WaterFirst is a designation and an achievement of local governments for their excellence in water resources management, recognized by the Georgia Environment Finance Authority (GEFA). These 54 communities do not represent the largest urban areas across the state. While there are 159 counties in Georgia, and several hundred municipalities, there are only 54 WaterFirst designees. This is the third in a series of three posts on Newton County’s joint application to WaterFirst.
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