The city of Guyton and Effingham County may take another try at a wastewater treatment pact.

County Administrator David Crawley said Guyton Mayor Michael Garvin approached the county recently to re-open talks about the city buying capacity in the county’s wastewater treatment plant. The city and county previously have traded offers and counteroffers and briefly engaged in discussions last summer about a possible deal.

Guyton officials ultimately opted to continue pursuit of their own wastewater treatment plant until reaching out again to county officials late last month, according to Crawley.

"Mayor Garvin indicated they would be open to a revised offer," he said.

County commissioners have approved sending a term sheet to Guyton, outlining the county’s proposal for the city to tie into the county’s sewage system. The city has asked about purchasing 250,000 gallons per day of capacity in the county’s 1 million gallon-per-day plant.

Crawley estimated it would cost $2.4 million to connect Guyton’s system to the county’s lines. The cost to purchase the requested capacity would be $2.8 million. The county’s proposal also calls for the county to sell capacity at a rate of $11.50 per gallon.

"We believe that is less than what it will cost Guyton build its own system and to connect to its users," Crawley said.

Guyton currently is using from 65,000-85,000 gallons of capacity in Springfield’s sewage treatment plant. Guyton has an allotment of 107,000 gallons per day in Springfield’s 500,000 gallon-per-day plant.

The city has plans for a 250,000 gallon-per-day plant, at a construction cost of $4.7 million. Connecting the city’s customers to the new plant is estimated to cost another $2 million.

Under the terms, the county will charge Guyton $2.07 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater treatment, which is less than the rate the city pays to Springfield, according to the county. The county also will guarantee the rate will not exceed $3 per 1,000 gallons of wastewater treatment for four years.