As AMENDED – April 18, 2016
The Brunswick – Glynn County Joint Water and Sewer Commission (JWSC) submits the following seven (7) projects for funding by SPLOST 2016.
JWSC operates 3 major waste water treatment plants, 10 water towers and 14 ground storage tanks, over 3,700 fire hydrants, 8,000 manholes, 157 sewer lift stations and several hundred miles of water lines and many hundreds of miles of sewer lines. Much of these systems are 40 to 60 years old and are in constant need of repairs and maintenance. The cost to run JWSC’s water and sewer system takes millions of dollars each year, all of which is paid for just by our current rate payers. This is an opportunity to have this expense shared by all the other people who benefit from your water and sewer system.
JWSC is funded only by our approximately 30,000 rate paying customers. However, it is pointed out that about 10,000 of these rate payers are commercial accounts. Therefore, only about 20,000 citizens of Glynn County are paying for all the water and sewer systems, including fire hydrants, in Glynn County.
Each of the seven (7) projects are listed in the recently completed Master Plan as in critical need of Repair & Replacement (R&R) as soon as possible. Also, it is important to point out that JWSC is under a State of Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Consent Court Order to make numerous and costly R&R improvements or face costly fines.
By funding all of these projects through SPLOST 2016, JWSC can get these critically needed projects done much faster. In addition, all our current rate payers can receive help to prevent their water and sewer bills to rise significantly over the next three to four years. This will result in having a large portion of the cost of these projects being paid for by everyone that lives, shops, works or eats in Glynn County. This includes the thousands of motorist and tourist that visit the Golden Isles each day of the year. In addition all those people who live in a neighboring county, but work and shop in Glynn County can help pay for the benefits they enjoy that are now paid for by JWSC’s current rate paying customers. It is only fair that they also help fund these R&R projects.
It is also important to note that all of these construction projects will only improve and upgrade the existing water and sewer system. None of these projects are designed to help any large developer, commercial or residential, build large and/or new projects.
JWSC is dedicated to help and assist in bringing new industries that will provide higher paying jobs to Glynn County. However, JWSC believes that such projects should be funded mainly by the developers and not only by our current rate payer customers. That is why all these listed projects are located in the older and established sections of our water and sewer systems.
JWSC also wants to inform our rate paying customers that the original establishing ordinance required that we recognize and fund our program by districts. The four geographic districts are the City of Brunswick, Saint Simons Island, North Mainland Glynn County and South Mainland Glynn County. We have listed at least one project for each district, so that all our customers in each district will receive a direct benefit from the passage of SPLOST 2016.
The Southern District is the newest district and its water and sewer system are in much better repair than the other three districts. The projects listed for this area are being done to insure that this district continues to be well maintained into the future.
The water and sewer systems in the other three districts are in much greater need of rehabilitation. They are in the area where the majority of our rate paying customers live and work. It is also where the majority of the critically needed repairs are located and where the Consent Court Order restoration projects designated by the State of Georgia Environmental Protection Division for upgrades are situated.
JWSC hopes that all the citizens of Glynn County will recognize the importance of having these projects funded through SPLOST 2016. All the people who have jobs in Glynn County receive a direct benefit from having a well maintained water and sewer system, even if they might live in a neighboring county or in an area that is served by private wells and septic tank systems. The JWSC SPLOST 2016 projects are deemed extremely important to regaining a healthy water and sewer system. The list is in priority order and any SPLOST 2016 funds will be allocated in this order.
A well maintained water and sewer system is one of the first things a big industry looks for when they seek to expand. These SPLOST 2016 funded projects will put Glynn County way ahead of other locations seeking to attract new industries and employment opportunities for our children and our family members.
The proposed JWSC SPLOST 2016 projects in priority are as follows:
1. NORTH MAINLAND DISTRICT- SEWER PROJECT – R&R of Basin 4036, Basin 4039 Lift Station 4110 and Lift Station 4035.
This is a major project that will not only rehabilitate these two large sewer basins, but will also improve the entire JWSC systems that flow into the Academy Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant (ACWWTP).
By first upgrading and enlarging LS 4036, JWSC will then be able to upgrade and reverse the flow of sewerage from LS 4110 and LS 4039. Currently the waste flowing through these lift stations take a long and convoluted route that takes several days to reach the ACWWTP. Sewage now flows from 19 different smaller Lift Stations (LS) to LS 4110. It then flows through the larger lift stations of LS 4046, LS 4039, LS 4048, LS 4029, LS 4006, LS 4005 and then finally into ACWWTP. This project will R&R 4,800 feet of sewer lines and will fix many major leaks or I&I problems.
Once LS 4036 is completed we can reverse the flow and the waste will go from LS 4110 to LS 4036 and then to LS 4035, where it will flow directly into ACWWTP. LS 4035 upgrades include R&R of 6,500 feet of badly deteriorated and structurally unsound sewer lines and end the leaks, or l&I problems, in this area. LS 4005 is currently operating way over its designed capacity and needs multiple thousands of dollars of upgrading.
JWSC will then be able to utilize a longer portion of our gravity pipe system. All of this will result in savings of electrical power and costly maintenance on all these lift stations.
The areas that will receive the greatest benefit from this project are the homes, businesses and industries around the airport, the McBride Industrial Park and FLETC. It will also benefit the customers along Harry Driggers Boulevard, over to Exit 42 on 1-95 and all the way over to the Golden Isle Parkway and Glynco Parkway. It will also serve the homes and businesses along Whitlock Avenue and all the way North to the Community Road area.
JWSC will try to coordinate this project with the City of Brunswick and Glynn County so they can make any needed improvements to their storm water system prior to JWSC repaving the streets involved with this projects.
Opinion of Probable Cost: $11,700,000.00
2. CITY OF BRUNSWICK – SEWER PROJECT – Elimination of Lift Station 4003 and Replacement of 3,600 feet of old Gravity Sewer pipes.
This project will remove and replace the deteriorated gravity sewer line that runs from K Street to R Street. This line has deteriorated so badly that it is plagued with multiple leaks and is in need of total replacement. Completion of this project will benefit all the homes and businesses encompassed, East to West, from Newcastle Street to Glynn Avenue and, North to South, from P Street to Gloucester Street.
JWSC will try to coordinate this project with the City of Brunswick so they can make improvements to their storm water system prior to JWSC repaving the streets involved with this projects.
Opinion of probable Cost: $3,800,000.00
3. SAINT SIMONS ISLAND – WATER PROJECT – Construction of Mallory Elevated Water Storage Tank and Raising the Height of the Demere Elevated Water Storage Tank.
This project involves the construction of a new 500,000 gallon elevated water storage tank. It also involves the raising the elevation of the Demere Road elevated water storage tank. The Oglethorpe elevated water storage tank was constructed 18′ feet higher than the much older Demere elevated tank. Because of this height difference it causes a reduction in the flow pressure and lessens the water quality available from the Demere tank. In order to correct this problem, the Demere tank will have to be raised to the same height as the Oglethorpe tank. Once completed this project will increase water quality, water pressure and firefighting capability in the whole southern end of St. Simons Island. The Village and East Beach areas will especially benefit from this project.
Opinion of probable Cost: $2,100,000.00
4. CITY OF BRUNSWICK-WATER PROJECT-Magnolia Park Water Main.
This project involves the removal and replacement of 13,000 feet of the old Transite water lines. Transite water lines are made of a mixture of asbestos and cement and were commonly used from the early 1900’s into the 1970. This type of water lines were found to suffer from calcium leaching both internally and externally, which weakens the pipes and can lead to collapse and leaks.
The areas benefiting from this project includes most of the residential neighborhoods and businesses on Altama, Habersham, Community Road, Cypress Mill Road, and the major commercial corridor of Spur 25.
Opinion of probable Cost – $2,025,000.00
5. SAINT SIMONS ISLAND-SEWER PROJECT- Upgrading of Basin 2003 and Improvements to the Existing Gravity Sewer System.
This project is to upgrade Lift Station 2003 and the associated sewer system. This project will fix many of the leaks, or I&I problems, in this basin. It will improve sewer service in most of the southern end of Saint Simons Island, especially the areas of Vassar Point, East Beach, the Village, Oglethorpe and Mallory Parks and the airport and the Winn Dixie shopping area.
The combination of these two water and sewer companion projects will have an extremely positive impact on the whole southern end of Saint Simons Island.
Opinion of probable Cost: $1,700,000.00
6. NORTH MAINLAND – SEWER PROJECT -Basin 4013 – Fairway Oaks, the Glynco Annex, Chapel Crossing and South to Kensington Drive.
This project is a proposed sewer R&R that if completed with SPLOST 2016 funding could significantly transform much of the North Mainland sewer system. This project includes nearly 24,000 feet of sewer mains and 65 deteriorating manholes. This area also covers from Enterprise Drive then paralleling Chapel Crossing on the North and running to Kensington Drive on the South at the Northern end of Altama A venue. This basin exhibits one of the highest rates of leaks, or I&I, in the JWSC sewer system. It is a major contributor to sewer surcharging and to overflows at LS 4013, LS 4023 and LS 4021 that is downstream to this project area.
Opinion of Probable Cost: $2,700,000.00
7. SOUTH MAINLAND – SEWER PROJECT – Upgrading of Lift Station 3114
This project is to upgrade LS 3114 so as to provide for better service in the Southport Parkway basin and all the homes and businesses served by this facility. The Master Plans calls for an upgrade of the pump and the force main and gravity sewer system lines. Lift Station 3101 also needs upgrading, however JWSC will budget the funds for the companion project of approximately $769,838.00.
Some of the areas befitting from this project include Somerset Point, Barrington Oaks, Cinder Hill, South Winds, Satilla Sands, Spaulding Mobil Home Park, Clear Water and down Buckswamp Road all the way out to Peninsula.
Opinion of Probable Cost: $778,000.00
TOTAL PROBABLE COST INCLUDING PROJECT# 7: $24, 803,000.00
Seven maps for the above-mentioned projects are available in the following attachment:
Prioritized_SPLOST_2016_with_maps_4.18.16
Editor’s Note: Updated 4.19.16 to reflect SPLOST 2016 phrasing in place of SPLOST VI phrasing.
