Effingham County commissioners and the Industrial Development Authority are expected to iron out an agreement for water and sewer service at the IDA’s I-16 project.
The IDA discussed the intergovernmental agreement between the two entities at its meeting last Wednesday afternoon and Chief Executive Officer John Henry said they are close to resolving some of the issues in the pact regarding reuse water. IDA representatives met with county staff Commissioners Reggie Loper and Hubert Sapp last week to go over their concerns and those of the state Environmental Protection Division.
“The county said we had to have some kind of language (about reuse), because the EPD is not going to allow a wastewater treatment system built without some kind of reuse,” Henry said.
Sapp said during July’s commission meeting that he wanted it spelled out how reuse would be handled.
With the reuse water, the EPD dismissed the use of a sprayfield. Reuse water is treated to a higher standard than wastewater that is normally disposed of on a sprayfield.
“You have to have something planted for it to be a reuse field,” Henry said. “It has to be replacing a beneficial use that currently exists.”
The southern tract of the IDA’s I-16 will be on temporary septic systems. Plans for the northern tract, the much larger of the two, calls for building a wastewater treatment plant.
The agreement calls for the reuse field to be finished before the wastewater treatment plant goes into operation.
“Once we build it, we turn it over to the county,” Henry said.
The county has identified about 25 acres that could be suitable for a reuse field. A reuse field — which would have grass or other vegetation — also doesn’t require the kind of diligence for a sprayfield.
“With a sprayfield, you have to have monitoring and measuring,” Henry said. “With reuse, you don’t have to have that because it’s clean water. You can plant corn in there, if you want.”
IDA attorney Marvin Fentress had not seen the agreement prior to the IDA’s called meeting last week, and IDA board members OK’d the deal pending Fentress’ approval.
“We’re not getting into the water and sewer business,” Henry said.
County commissioners also will take up a proposal for engineering firm Hussey, Gay, Bell and DeYoung to design a well to go in at the I-16 park and a proposal from Saussy Engineering to design the wastewater treatment plant.
