The City of Athens water treatment plant might get its first upgrade since the 1960s, and Athens residents will have to pay a bit more for their tap water as a result.
The estimated $6 million project will be the first phase, according to a general plan released by the City of Athens Engineering and Public Works department in May 2016.
The renovations will be paid for through local funds, though the city will apply for loans from state and national sources to pay for some of the costs up front. The "base rate" Athens residents pay for water will also increase, according to the plan.
“User rates will increase an average of 3.6% per year to cover the cost of the project, operations, maintenance, supplies, and other capital improvement projects,” according to the plan.
In an October city council meeting, Athens City Auditor Kathy Hecht said steps were taken to assure the rate increases would be payable.
"Care has been taken to be sensitive to people’s ability to pay," Hecht said.
Councilman Kent Butler, D-1st Ward, said the cost is well worth the benefit.
“The water treatment plant is dated,” Butler said. “Original construction began in the 1950s. The project is intended to update many working aspects of the system.”
Hecht said infrastructure is often more important than utility rates to businesses.
"If someone’s looking to come here, they’re looking at the infrastructure, not the tax rate," Hecht said.
Athens Mayor Steve Patterson clarified that the project will renovate only an existing structure.
“There’s two plants,” Patterson said. “The mid-to-late '50s is when plant one was constructed. Plant one in particular needs a lot of upgrades to it, but it’s not going to be a completely new building."
Athens' population is expected to grow by more than 4,000 people by 2036, and there will be a 2.8 percent increase in commercial water usage yearly, according to the plan. Those projections were based on five years of observation data.
By those estimates, the current treatment plant could produce the amount needed for the population. The plan notes, however, that the equipment within the plant is vastly deteriorated.
“Throughout both plants, there are equipment disconnects that are in very poor condition, do not meet the National Electrical Code for working clearance in front of them, or both,” according to the plan.
Patterson said most of the upgrades will be to the building’s aging electrical system.
“A lot of it is going to be electrical; we have three different voltages going into the facility.” Patterson said.
In a city council meeting on November 21, Butler said this change would create a more efficient system.
“Because of the old electrical system in there, it takes more energy,” Butler said. “The new system would help soften that.”
If the project proceeds according to the plan, construction will begin in June 2017 and be completed by April 2018.
But despite being called a "phased project," there is no other mention of additional phases in the plan.
