Water Authority Hears About Possible Upcoming Projects

By REBECCA HAZEN
News Editor

Members of the Dade County Water and Sewer Authority heard from William Back, Executive Director of the Industrial Development Authority, about possible projects in the county, during the Feb. 22 meeting.

“We have four pending projects, three of them may have some impact with the Water and Sewer Authority,” Back said.
Back noted that there are nondisclosure agreements for two of the projects, so not a lot of details can be given.

One project in particular, “Project Flavor,” would be in the industrial park.

“There would be some pre-treatment involved with that facility. The sewage for that would be handled by the city, but it would still be Dade water,” Back explained.

The other projects, still in the talking phase, would be on State Route 299, close to the interstate.

One of the projects would be a manufacturing facility, with restrooms, which would have little water and sewage usage.

Another project would be a major retailer that would offer the sale of gasoline, food and convenience store type items.

“It would be a group of three restaurants under one roof, about 50,00 square foot building. It would be a major user of both water and sewer,” Back said.

Back noted that these projects are nowhere near final decisions, but he felt that the Water and Sewer Authority needed to know in advance.

In other news, the authority looked at the 2020 Water Loss Audit, which showed that they lost 35.7 percent of the water that was pumped out.

“When you look at Walker and Chattooga, they are losing like 43-44 percent. No water system is water tight. So technically we are doing pretty good for the size of our water system,” General Manager Walker said. “Even though we have a lot of leaks, we’re not the only ones.”

Walker told the authority that a second vehicle was needed in the Distribution Department.

She recommended sending the full size truck she has been driving to the department and getting herself a smaller vehicle.

“I am not trying to get me a new vehicle. I am trying to spend as little money as we can and still get what we need done,” Walker said. “I have no need to drive a full-sized vehicle every day. They do.”

The authority approved the purchase of a vehicle, up to $25,000, and they will see if purchasing the vehicle with SPLOST funds is possible.

Elizabeth Zeller presented the financial report. According to Zeller, for the month of January, the total expenses were $318,504.80. Total expenses for the month were $264,390.00, leaving a profit of $54,114.80.
For the month of January, there were 6,498 payments processed, 100 locates, nine water main leak repairs and eight taps installed.

The next meeting will be March 23.