Upgrade slated for Shannon water plant
♦ The Floyd County Commission also signs off on plans for mini-warehouses on Rockmart Highway.
A modern water intake system could be in place as early as May at Floyd County’s water treatment plant off Woodward Creek in Shannon.
“That will probably get us a million gallons a day, if we need it,” County Manager Jamie McCord said.
Floyd County commissioners awarded the contract to low-bidder Willow Construction of Powder Springs for $165,550. The company has 150 days from its start-date to upgrade the intake with the addition of a screen, blower system, piping, a concrete channel and connections.
The intake hasn’t been upgraded since it was installed in the 1930s for a textile mill on the site. The county paid $600,000 for the filtration plant in 2005, after Galey & Lord shut down operations, and spent about $800,000 on renovations.
“That was a good deal we made to buy that plant,” Com- missioner
Scotty Hancock said.
About 750,000 gallons of water a day can be pumped from Woodward Creek to serve customers in the northern part of the county. Utilities Administrator Steve Hulsey has said they’ll pull from other sources during the upgrade, when the plant will be temporarily closed.
The Shannon plant is the county’s only surface-water source, but the system also includes a spring and two wells. The county also has wholesale purchase contracts with — and connections to — the Rome, Calhoun and Adairsville systems.
County commissioners also approved Tuesday a new contract with Rome, with a price of $1.39 per 1,000 gallons and no minimum purchase. However, it’s just through the end of 2019 instead of for the standard 10 years.
“For 2020, we want to do a water and sewer agreement,” McCord said.
Officials have been negotiating to equalize the charges for sewer customers. Residents outside the city limits pay as much as twice the rate paid by city residents. Commissioner Wright Bagby Jr. said rate variances should be based on distance, not residency.
“We don’t want a big change. We just want it to be logical,” he said.
In other actions, commissioners approved light industrial zoning for an undeveloped tract on Rockmart Highway across from McCord Drive to allow miniwarehouses. Board members ensured, before the vote, that the property would be divided and the back section along Chateau Drive would remain residential.