Friday, May 6, 2005

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Infrastructure costs reason for lower Senoia sewer price

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

The proposed contract that would allow Senoia to pump 500,000 gallons of untreated sewage a day to Peachtree City will help avoid sewer rate increases for Peachtree City sewer customers, according to officials from Peachtree City’s Water and Sewerage Authority.

Under the deal, the city of Senoia would pay $3.50 for every 1,000 gallons of sewage shipped to Peachtree City’s Rockaway plant. While Peachtree City sewer customers pay $4.38 per 1,000 gallons, the lower price for Senoia reflects the fact that WASA will not have to pay for the construction and maintenance of the sewer lines that will feed Senoia’s wastewater to the plant, said WASA General Manager Larry Turner.

When calculating the proposed rate for treating sewage from Senoia, Turner said he had to subtract the annual $1 million cost WASA spends on maintaining its 186 miles of sewer pipes and 35 pumpstations, in addition to WASA’s engineering staff.

“We will not own any part of the collection system, pump station or force main,” for the Senoia deal, Turner said. Senoia will also install a wireless monitor that allows WASA officials to keep track of how much the flows are, Turner said.

If the deal is ultimately approved, it may take up to a year and a half before any sewage would flow from Senoia to Peachtree City, Turner said. Also, Senoia isn’t expected to reach the 500,000 gallons a day level until 10 years into the contract, he added.

The proposed deal has created some amount of controversy as Turner has maintained that WASA can enter the Senoia contract without approval of the Peachtree City Council. City Attorney Ted Meeker noted that the city’s contract with WASA requires council approval before any sewer service can be extended beyond the city’s corporate boundaries.