New water treatment plant opens at Lanier Islands

BUFORD - A new water treatment plant is up and running at Lake Lanier Islands.

The $15 million project went on line in late December. It replaces the sewage treatment and water handling facility that had been in use since the Resort opened in the 1970s.

Resort officials said the new facility is environmentally advanced and includes the addition of state-of-the-art remote monitoring to safeguard the lake.

"Great care was taken to build a facility that was environmentally advanced," said Lonice Barrett, chair of the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority, which funded the project. "This has been the number one priority of the Board and plans began when Virgil Williams took over the sublease of the resort several years ago. It is indeed a significant milestone to be able to convert to a new wastewater treatment system of this caliber. The LLIDA Board has always placed a high priority on the protection of Lake Lanier and water conservation."

The Resort is managed by LLI Management that will operate and maintain the plant as part of the long-term lease with LLIDA.