Award-Winning Plan Charts Future for Georgia County’s Water and Sewer Needs
Rapid residential, industrial and commercial growth in northeast Georgia, just outside the metropolitan Atlanta area along the busy I-85 corridor, required an innovative approach.
Looking to address the accelerated growth effectively, the Jackson County Water and Sewerage Authority (JCWSA) partnered with Freese and Nichols to develop a water and wastewater master plan. It creates a strategy to serve JCWSA customers over the next several decades while maintaining excellent service. The Water and Wastewater Master Plan keeps JCWSA ahead of capacity needs through 2050 and was recently recognized with the 2024 Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) Master Planning Spotlight Award.
The unique plan identifies solutions to support long-term growth and the challenge of meeting short-term growth, which continued to evolve during the evaluations. Our team was honored to collaborate with JCWSA on creating workable solutions and pivoting, as needed, to address short-term changes.
GAWP’s Master Planning Spotlight Award is presented to a utility or municipality exemplifying master planning best practices and water and sewer system planning excellence. The award-winning master plan was featured at the GAWP Fall Conference. This year’s GAWP Master Planning Spotlight Award was presented at a luncheon on Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Jekyll Island, Georgia.
The award-winning Plan included:
- Water demands and wastewater flow forecasting through 2050
- Hydraulic modeling and calibration of the water distribution and sanitary sewer systems
- Short-term and long-term system evaluations, identifying capacity needs
- Assessment of treatment capacity and water supply needs over the planning period
- Capital Improvements Plan that highlights not only a recommended timeline for infrastructure improvements but also operational triggers to support infrastructure investment decisions
JCWSA serves approximately 12,000 customers in three cities and unincorporated areas of Jackson County and six wholesale customers within and or adjacent to the county boundaries, likely tripling its water demand over the planning period.
Infrastructure takes time to implement and fund. A carefully crafted road map helps utilities prioritize future needs to achieve their vision. Upon completing its water and wastewater master plan, JCWSA launched a rate study to consider financial elements for implementation.
At the GAWP Fall Conference, JCWSA Authority Manager Joey Leslie and Senior Engineer Nathan Hester, who served as project manager for the authority, presented the Master Plan overview and rate study findings. They discussed the importance of utilities finding a team that works with them, even when curve balls are thrown. Nathan noted that the Freese and Nichols team had done just that, “knocking it out of the park with innovative thinking that will benefit JCWSA for years to come.”
Freese and Nichols appreciates the partnership with JCWSA on this important planning project. Congratulations to Joey Leslie, Nathan Hester and the entire JCWSA team on receiving the GAWP Master Planning Spotlight Award, which recognizes JCWSA’s dedication to providing reliable and affordable water and sewer service to its customers.