Earlier this week, Governor Kemp announced the use of federal coronavirus relief funds to help improve Georgia’s water and sewer systems. Part of those funds will directly affect the drinking water that comes from Lake Lanier.
Georgia Gov Brian Kemp is awarding $422 million from federal coronavirus relief funds to more than 100 water and sewer projects concentrated in rural Georgia. On Wednesday, it was announced that $32.6 million of that will be awarded to Forsyth County for future water and sewer infrastructure projects and upgrades.
A press release from Forsyth County said that the funds will be used to construct a pipeline and diffuser that will send treated water back to Lake Lanier from the county’s Fowler Water Reclamation Facility.
In addition to that, the county announced in November that it is constructing a raw water intake facility along Lake Lanier. A statement from the county says that “once complete, [it will] provide reliability and redundancy for water supply, improved water quality, while saving the county approximately $3 million annual in raw water purchases from the city of Cumming."
Forsyth County was awarded the largest amount of funds of any local government in the state. The goal is to ensure reliable and safe drinking water and wastewater systems.
“We are grateful for Gov. Kemp’s support and investment in Forsyth County,” said Forsyth County Manager Kevin Tanner. “The fact that Forsyth County was chosen to receive this significant award for water infrastructure is a testament to the importance of Forsyth County to the metro Atlanta region and the state of Georgia. We have some very large water infrastructure upgrades coming in the near future, and the funds will lead to an immediate savings on those projects.”
Governor Kemp says that it is important to make an investment in the state’s water supply. “We awarded this project to support Forsyth County in returning water to Lake Lanier to secure water supply for a growing Metro Atlanta area for generations. We are glad to put our support behind this unique project that benefits not only Forsyth County but also north Georgia and the entire state,” said Kemp. “Because we remained focused on protecting lives and livelihoods throughout the pandemic, Georgia is now in a position to make strategic, transformational investments in our state’s water and sewer infrastructure.”
This latest announcement is the second major round of funds that Kemp has handed out. He earlier awarded $408 million in federal money to expand high-speed internet access, also mostly in rural areas.
Kemp still plans to hand out a third round of funding to offset negative economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
