EPD Stalls Water Project

“They’re just playing this little game”

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) continues to stall the Tate Water Line Project, according to Director of Utilities Larry Coleman. During a January Water Committee meeting, the committee discussed the status of the Tate Line Replacement project. In order for the project to move forward, the plans must be approved by the EPD, the state agency version of the Federal EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Coleman explained.

“(We’re) still waiting on EPD approval,”

Coleman told Board Chairman Tim Jordan when asked about the project. Coleman explained that the county received a letter recently from the EPD with comments on the project plan that had to be addressed. He said the county will address the comments and then send it back to the agency and then the EPD will send back more comments ad infinitum.

“They’re just playing this little game,”

Coleman said.

According to Coleman the project includes the line replacement with Big Canoe and replacement of the tank in Tate. The county will replace the water lines on North Station Street, South Station Street, Canton Highway and Old Highway 5; the current lines are old PVC lines that were installed around 1970, he said. He added that the engineer’s estimate to replace the lines is $350,000 and the new tank, $80,000. He also said that the tank cost approximately $900,000.

In a recent correspondence with FYN, Coleman noted,

“The line replacement with Big Canoe and the new tank were jointly applied for and were approved through a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) low interest loan and GEFA (Georgia Environmental Finance Authority) grant”

for $300,000.

The county is unable to put out bids for the project until the county receives approval from the EPD. He said when the county does bid out the project, it will bid for the replacement of pipes, the Tate Tank removal, and connectors.

Chairman Jordan asked Coleman if the project could be completed by county employees. Coleman said that because the project is USDA funded, the county must open the project for bids.