Valdosta working to fix sewer problems

The city of Valdosta does have a plan to fix its sewer problems; it’s funded; and it’s moving along rapidly.

In the Spotlight on Valdosta’s front page says:

Click here for updates to Valdosta’s Sanitary Sewer System improvement projects.

That link leads to Valdosta Sanitary Sewer System Improvements [Since moved by Valdosta to a new URL. 2018-01-28 -jsq],

The City of Valdosta Utilities Department has been working diligently on a number of wastewater improvements.

Since 1992, the city has received $179 million in Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds and invested in capital improvement projects (CIP). During the same timeframe, the city has expended $167 million for water/wastewater projects from SPLOST proceeds, system revenues, bonds, and Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) loans.

On November 5, 2013, the SPLOST VII was approved by voters and is expected to generate about $150 million, of which Valdosta will receive an estimated $80 million. Nearly 70 percent of the funding will be dedicated to wastewater projects, which is $55.4 million. Over the next 4 years, projects that will be funded by SPLOST, system revenues, GEFA loans, etc. include:

The first details on the that page are for the Force Main Project, which is the one that should fix Sewage into the Withlacoochee again –WCTV:

Other details include for relocation of the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), smoke testing of 300 miles of sewer lines, annual sewer manhole replacement or rehabilitation, and pump station replacement, rehabilition, and emergency gennerators.

The new WWTP will be uphill from the old one, where it should not flood.

No doubt everybody would like all this to be fixed yesterday, but it is being fixed.

-jsq