Monroe County leaders updated on Tuesday a pair of Juliette citizens affected by contaminated private wells on what Commissioners are doing to assist with resolving the issue.
Commission Chairman Greg Tapley, District 2 Commissioner Eddie Rowland, County Manager Jim Hedges and Water Engineer Jeff Dorough of Utility Partners met with Juliette residents Karl Cass and Paul Lindner for nearly two hours on Tuesday to discuss the matter, which was first brought to public light about three weeks ago.
With help from Interim Fire Chief Brian Meadows, Commissioners brought in three water tanks from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) to place at fire stations in three locations, Juliette, Dames Ferry and Popes Ferry. The Juliette tank held 1,000 gallons with about 500 gallons used over the weekend while the other two tanks each held 600 gallons. The tanks have provided a temporary fix for Juliette-area residents whose wells could be contaminated, but Commissioner Rowland said Tuesday that the Commissioners’ goal is to make their drinking water permanently safe.
Commissioner Rowland said commissioners’ next step is to do two separate water safety studies. The first study will take water samples from 50 to 55 different private wells at locations all throughout Monroe County. The study will evaluate whether the tested wells have high levels of Hexavalent Chromium, or Chromium 6, a compound associated with an increased risk of cancer according to the National Cancer Institute. Led by the non-profit environmental support group, The Altamaha Riverkeeper, Juliette residents have held several informational town hall meetings in recent weeks after high levels of Hexavalent Chromium, in some cases in excess of 10 parts per billion (ppb), have been found in private wells located within several miles of Plant Scherer. Dozens of Juliette residents visited the state capitol on Monday to express their concerns to state lawmakers about the issue. The citizens have urged state legislators to enact a bill requiring Plant Scherer to line the bottom of its ash pond to prevent coal ash from seeping into the water table used by nearby private wells. Commissioners decided to test wells throughout the entire county because they want to gather more information about whether the Hexavalent Chromium concentrations are naturally occurring or whether they are confined to the area near Plant Scherer, which would lend further credence to claims made by The Altamaha Riverkeeper that coal ash could be the cause of the high contaminant levels. County Manager Jim Hedges estimated the cost of the first study at $10,000 and said results are expected back within seven to 10 days of testing.
The second study Commissioners will undertake will be performed by Duke University doctoral student Rachel Coyte under the guidance of Dr. Avner Vengosh, a Duke Professor of Earth and Ocean Sciences. Wanting an independent third-party to evaluate the levels of Hexavalent Chromium in 10 to 12 wells within two miles of Plant Scherer, Commissioners will pay Coyte’s flight and rental car costs as she visits Monroe County on Saturday, March 14. While a number of residents who live near Plant Scherer have stated their wells show high levels of Hexavalent Chromium, Plant Scherer spokesman John Kraft reiterated to Macon’s 13WMAZ TV station on Monday that its on-site wells show no contamination. County Manager Hedges said Duke’s study will be able to test for total Chromium, Hexavalent Chromium and isotope identification, which is designed to determine the origin of contamination if it is present.
Commissioners also revealed Tuesday that the cost of bringing county water to Juliette residents could be nearly $20 million. County Manager Hedges, who said preliminary costs of the project are expected to be available next week, said it would cost about $15 million to run water lines over a 75-mile stretch of road. He said the project would also require the construction of pump stations, water towers and an estimated 396 fire hydrants, which combined would cost several million dollars more. The County would also have to get prior Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) approval in order to request federal and state grant funds for the project. County Manager Hedges said it would take six to nine months to draft an engineer design plan and said with six contractors working daily on the construction, it would still take about two years to complete the project, meaning the entire time between start to finish would be about 34 months. County Manager Hedges said county water for the project could come from several sources, the Macon Water Authority, which already provides water to south Monroe County, and the City of Forsyth, which could tie its system on with the south Monroe County system.
The next public town hall meeting to discuss well water contamination will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 27 at Maynard Baptist Church at 1195 Juliette Road. District 4 commissioner George Emami is expected to attend while Tapley and Rowland will be in Atlanta meeting with state legislators, including representatives of Monroe County, Rep. Dale Washburn and Sen. John Kennedy. County Chairman Greg Tapley will also be in Washington, D.C. next week and plans to meet with Congressman Austin Scott’s office, Senator David Perdue’s office, Senator Kelly Loeffler’s office and with the USDA.
