Lavonia Raises Water Rates

Some big projects on the horizon in Lavonia has the City looking to raise water rates.

At their meeting this week, the Lavonia City Council heard from Assistant City Manager Charles Cawthon.

Cawthon said one of the bigger projects the City is already working on is the expansion of its water intake facility from Lake Hartwell.

“We have several issues that are going to be coming up over the next several years that will increase our water fund budget,” Cawthon told the mayor and City Council. “One thing is our increased allocation from Lake Hartwell should be coming through soon and that will cost us about $850,000 that we’re going to have to pay for hopefully over period of time, and that’s going to impact the budget.”

Other water projects coming up Cawthon said include work at the water treatment plant where he said several upgrades are needed.

“There’s some outdated things that we’re going to have take action on and that’s going to cost somewhere between $250,000 and $300,000,” he said.

And finally, Cawthon said the Georgoa Environmental Protection Division is requiring some upgrades at the City’s wastewater treatment plant.

“Right now under our current permit our phosphorus and our ammonia are out of compliance. The problem is those levels will likely increase downward again by the time we renew our permit in 2020. If that’s the case our constructive wetlands will no longer be able to meet those tolerances and we will have to go to an active sludge plant.”

He said that would cost the City up to $2.5 million.

Cawthon recommended raising rates 25-cents per 1,000 gallons on the overage and increasing the new account set-up fee to $25 from the current $10.

City Councilman Courtney Umbehant noted the 25-cent increase would work out to about an extra 80-cents a month on most water customer bills who use more than 2,000 gallons a month.

Mayor Ralph Owens noted people who use the minimum 2,000 gallons a month won’t see any significant increase at all.

After hearing from Cawthon, the council voted unanimously to raise both the water rates and the new account set up fee.