COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
The Jones County Water System is in the midst of a significant expansion of its service area, and the effort is being driven in large part by need.
Jones County Administrator Jason Rizner said last week that the county will be spending approximately $20 million for various projects over roughly five years.
He explained that the Board of Commissioners undertook an evaluation of the water system, utilizing an expert in analysis of rate structures, and came up with the fee schedule now in effect. Commissioners then discussed at numerous meetings and work sessions various projects to address water concerns.
One area’s dire situation has already been addressed, according to Rizner.
“There were residents on Sand Creek Trail (that runs between Graham Road and Gray Highway) who came to us and said, ‘hey, we’re having to haul water in’.
Their wells were going dry.”
Tim Ingram, the system’s primary engineer, explained the situation he found in the Sand Creek Trail area neighborhoods.
“There were five or six houses that were without water,” he said. “Their wells had gone dry. There were about 12 houses in that area that were hooked together with water hoses.”
Rizner said the Sand Creek line was run within the past two years at a cost of just under $1.4 million and serves 32 houses now.
‘Wells going dry’
Ingram said he has discovered that the water problem is not confined to any one area.
“The more we got into it, it was like, this is happening all over the county,” he pointed out. “These people are having this problem, but so are these people, and so are these people.
“I get stopped regularly and asked when are we going to run water by somebody’s house.”
The engineer said dry wells are not uncommon.
“There were people reaching out that their wells were going dry,” he noted, adding that attempts to replace them were not fruitful. “Several people had drilled wells. They were in the 800- to 900-foot range, and they were not getting any water.”
Another area that will be able to hook up to the system in the near future is Homer Roberts Road. Construction on that 2.5-mile line from Liten- Tie to Gray Highway is basically complete, with new customers already on board for county water.
“Approximately 20% of folks on Homer Roberts Road currently have paid tap fees to hook up,” Jones County Water Superintendent Brandon Stark said, adding that eight taps were installed in recent days.
He also pointed out that tap fees have been reduced, but only temporarily.
“We lower the tap fee to entice people to tie on during construction when we are in the area,” Stark said. “The fee is normally $2,000 but $750 lower during construction.”
Rizner said the cost of that line as shown now is $2,761,000, but that figure may change.
Another phase of the expansion has gone out for bids that will be opened next month, Ingram said. The line on Graham Road will be extended 6.2 miles to Gray Highway, where it will connect with the Homer Roberts Road line via a connector already in place under the roadway. That project will also include service in the Graham Woods subdivision.
‘One gallon per minute’
Stark said he went door to door and talked to as many residents as possible, with very favorable results.
“I spoke to 42 of the 121 houses total on Graham Road and Graham Woods, and of those, 32 said they were definitely going to tie on,” he said.
Ingram knows of a home on Graham Road where the well produces one gallon per minute.
“They can’t take a shower at the same time or use water for anything much at the same time,” he said.
The engineer added what is referred to as the Highway 49 project is the last expansion endeavor in the budget at this time. The line will run from its previous end at the Pitts Chapel Road intersection and run along Highway 49 to Morris Stevens Road, where it will head down the county road.
“We’re going to get Morris Stevens, go all the way over to (Highway) 18; we’re going to hit Griswoldville Shortcut, then Griswoldville Road from Griswoldville Shortcut to 18, then the section on 18 back to Morris Stevens.”
The Highway 49 project, which will also include increasing water line size on Garrison Road, will consume about 30 percent of the money available.
“We budgeted $6.1 million for Highway 49,” Ingram said, cautioning that estimates were made either before or during COVID. “The numbers have changed so much.”
Ingram predicted that portion of the project that will add 14 miles of water lines to the county system should be well underway, if not done, within two years.
“We’ve got everything surveyed, 75% of it put together... If we’re not finished, we’ll be out there working, installing (meters),” the engineer said. “It’ll take a couple of years, but, as we’re finishing, we’re cutting stuff on and giving people the ability to tap on and get water.”
While the Highway 49 project will mark the end of construction at least temporarily, Rizner said the county’s focus will remain on providing water to Jones County residents.
“We are working to address water supply so that we can continue to produce sufficient quantities of water to meet current and future customer demand,” he commented.
With the push to increase the customer base, county officials know water capacity is important as well. Rizner and Ingram both mentioned money is budgeted for upgrades to the Henderson Road water treatment plant.
“We do have money in the bonds for upgrades to the Henderson water plant and an additional well, one or two, depending on how much they end up costing,” Rizner said. “We’ve already added one new well, and we’re in the process of connecting that in.”
Ingram also referenced the newly planned 750,000-gallon storage tank on Lite-N-Tie Road as well as upgrades to two wells in the Masseyville Road area that will increase the water supply available.
“We’re working on those capacity issues,” the engineer said. “We have some. We’ve identified them.”
Ingram added that Stark has been focusing on line leaks, and his efforts are paying off, particularly with the trunk line up Lite-N-Tie Road.
“Brandon has done a good job identifying and repairing lines that have been chronic problems with leaks,” he praised. ”So, hopefully we will have that resolved, and Lite-N-Tie will be our main corridor.”
‘Don’t have a good a nswer’ While the county has been concentrating on water service over the years, Rizner said the idea of a county sewer system that collects and treats the sewage has been discussed. The problem is the cost, he acknowledged.
“Depending on what all you do, it’s somewhere in the $25 to $50 million range. I think we could get our hands on the money. Repaying it is the challenge. You just can’t charge enough to pay that amount.
“I just don’t have a good answer for that,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of thinking on that, figuring; it’s just tough to make it work with that kind of debt payment.”
Rizner said a partnership with a private entity would be one possibility.
“If you had a big industry that came in, that you knew was going to be a big user, and maybe a part of their deal was they would pay something to go towards it, then maybe you could make it work.”
The county’s sewer system consists of the River North subdivision and an area in the Sun Valley neighborhood. The sewage is piped to Macon-Bibb County, where it is treated by the Macon Water Authority.
There has, however, been a recent development that gives some hope to county officials. A combination of funds from a loan and grant will be used to run a force main sewer line to the county’s industrial park off Highway 57.
“We’ve got all the financing now to get sewer to the industrial park,” the county manager confirmed. “That has been a goal. Just getting a line out there and being able to tell prospects ‘hey, we’ve got sewer to the industrial park’.”
Ingram said the proposed line is basically mandatory.
“We’ve had a good bit of activity this year and last year, people looking at the park,” he said. “One of the boxes you have to check off is sewer availability. That is going to give us some sewer capacity for the industrial park. Hopefully, that will resolve that issue that anybody may have.”
Ingram said bids will go out on that line next month.
