Nov 16, 2015 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

PCWASA General Manager Stephen Hogan (left) and Division Manager Keisha Lisbon Thorpe (right) congratulate Jasmin Palacios (center) as the winner of the 2015 Georgia Model Water Tower Competition regional event held at Woodland Middle School.

What better resource to help students with a science project to build a model water tower than the water professionals with experience constructing and operating these structures in real life?

Volunteers from the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) helped organize and execute the fourth annual Georgia Model Water Tower Competition this year, overseeing the regional competition held at Woodland Middle School on Oct. 23. In doing so, the water professionals from PCWASA had an opportunity to encourage participating middle school students that the water industry could provide them with rewarding careers in the future.

The Georgia Model Water Tower Competition requires middle school students to design and build a water tower with specific size and height requirements, while learning more about the value of water and the industry. Students could enter as individuals, in tandem or within a four-person team.

The overall winner of the 2015 competition from the south metro region was Woodland Middle School’s Jasmin Palacios, followed in second place by Austin Road’s Jessica Grimes, who was last year’s winner, with third place going to the Woodland Middle School tandem of Jessie Elliott and Erin Maiolo.

Additional awards went to Ryan Grimes from Austin Road for Artistic Design, Nikki Davis and Jhendiya Hall from Austin Road for Engineering Excellence, and Jessie Elliott and Erin Maiolo from Woodland Middle School for Structural Efficiency.

The student model water towers are judged based on three criteria – structural efficiency, hydraulic efficiency, and design ingenuity. In addition, judges conduct interviews with the students to assess their understanding of the engineering and construction process of building a model water tower. The model water towers may be designed and constructed from any materials. However, students are rewarded for using creative designs and innovative materials, such as everyday household items.

The Georgia Model Water Tower Competition, which was first held in 2012, is hosted by the Georgia Section of the American Water Works Association (GAWWA) and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP).

The learning objective of the Georgia Model Water Tower Competition is to make participants more aware of the importance of reliable drinking water, while introducing them to rewarding (career) opportunities available in the water profession. To do so, the competition requires students to develop an idea into a functioning water tower, just as water professionals do within the industry.

The additional benefit of the competition is it engages students in hands-on learning of STEM curricula – science, technology, engineering, and math – which are emphasized by Georgia educators and school administrations.

Check out the “Learn More” link below for photos from the 2015 Georgia Model Water Tower Competition.

Media Contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu (email)

Jun 8, 2015 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

Crews from RDJE, Inc. install a new sewer line to serve customers in the Pebblestump neighborhood.

The Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) recently completed rehabilitation of service lines, coupled with a small sewer line extension, within the Westpark area of its system.

Contractors from RDJE, Inc. were authorized by the Authority to rehabilitate nearly 3,000 linear feet of existing sewer lines via the pipe bursting methodology, while installing approximately 700 linear feet of new pipes, for customers within the Pebblestump neighborhood. The contract awarded by the PCWASA Board of Directors to RDJE, Inc. was the result of the contractor’s low bid of just more than $330,000.

This infrastructure had been labeled as a high priority hot spot in need of repairs, as a result of data gathered by RedZone Robotics over a two-year period of conditional assessment of the state of all small-diameter pipes and manholes within the PCWASA system.

“We’ve received nearly a dozen calls from residents in this area over the course of the project, and they all have been positive,” says Stephen Hogan, PCWASA General Manager. “They seem to be pleased with the system upgrades and enhanced service they are receiving.”

In addition to facilitating the project to rehab and extend these sewer lines within Westpark, the RedZone data also located a total of 19,700 linear feet of sewer lines throughout the system in need of root control. As the Authority was completing the rehab at Pebblestump, contractors also were addressing the identified instances of sewer line obstruction by roots, to restore the integrity of all sewer lines previously impacted by root intrusion.

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu OR chris@jwapr.com (email)

May 18, 2015 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

Capital Improvements are continuous at both PCWASA treatment plants.

While pursuing upgrades and expansion to its collection and conveyance system, the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) hasn’t overlooked necessary repairs or improvements needed at its two wastewater treatment plants.

Earlier this year, the Authority completed approximately $40,000 in repairs to the electrical control wiring at the Rockaway Water Reclamation Facility. Rockaway is a sequence batch reactor (SBR) plant with a permit to discharge all of its treated wastewater (4 million gallons per day capacity) into Line Creek. However, wastewater from Rockaway also is used for irrigation of the recreational fields located near the plant on Highway 74.

In addition, the Authority is pursuing extensive improvements to the south clarifiers at the Larry B. Turner/Line Creek Water Reclamation Facility. Contractors from Willow Construction were awarded the low bid of $304,650 to upgrade these 20-year-old clarifiers and other portions of the plant.

Treated wastewater from the Line Creek/Larry B. Turner Plant is discharged either into Line Creek or Flat Creek, though up to 1.1 million gallons can be used for irrigation at Planterra Ridge Golf Course.

Media Contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu OR chris@jwapr.com (email)

Mar 16, 2015 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

An example of system repairs that were considered urgent as a result of data collected through the RedZone YES Program condition assessment is the rehab work on an 8-inch sewer line that was completed recently at Commerce Drive.

The buzz of the many RedZone Solo Unmanned Inspection Robots that traversed the PCWASA sewer system has been replaced by the hum of computers that have been carefully analyzing the video and related data collected.

As the RedZone YES (Your Entire System) Program nears completion in Peachtree City, the Authority will be rehabilitating manholes and sewer lines within the PCWASA system according to a schedule that follows maintenance priorities, with facilities in the worst condition receiving immediate attention from crews in the field.

With the analysis of RedZone data completed for all of the nearly 4,000 manholes within the PCWASA system, the Authority categorized the condition of each manhole on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing a manhole in failing condition and 5 revealing a manhole in excellent condition. No manholes were categorized in either of these conditions. Rather, 78 were found to be in poor condition (a rating of 2) and 689 more were found to be in fair condition (a condition of 3). The majority of manholes (3,237) were found to be in good condition.

During this fiscal year, the Authority has budgeted approximately $365,000 to rehabilitate all 78 manholes that are in the worst of the various conditions. In addition, dollars will be available to rehab 100 of the 689 that are in fair condition. Over the course of the next few years, PCWASA will be able to rehabilitate all of its existing manholes in need of repair.

In addition to completing the condition assessment of PCWASA manholes, the Authority and its consulting engineers from CH2M Hill will complete the data analysis on the condition of all of the system’s sewer lines – a report that should wrap up this spring.

However, as the results of the condition assessment have come in, the Authority has moved forward with rehab of sewer lines that were in dire need of repair. An example of rehab work identified by the RedZone Program is the pipe bursting and pipe replacement project that has benefitted approximately 50 residents in the Pebble Stump area of the West Park basin. This portion of the PCWASA system used to contain older clay pipe that dated 50 years – a time prior to the Authority’s founding as a utility to oversee the sewer system for the citizens of Peachtree City.

Media Contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu OR chris@jwapr.com (email)

Nov 24, 2014 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

Keisha Lisbon Thorpe (left), PCWASA Division Manager of Technical Services, and Stephen Hogan (right), PCWASA General Manager, accept two Public Education Program Awards from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.

The Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) has been committed to educating the public on important issues for years, and the industry is taking notice.

During its recent Fall Conference in Dalton, the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP) recognized PCWASA for outstanding achievement in public education. The Authority brought home two coveted Public Education industry awards for Best New Media and Best Direct Media, honors received due to the emphasis in public education and outreach through its website and customer newsletter, respectively.

“As a member of GAWP, I can attest that these industry awards are not easy to win,” remarked Frank Destadio during the PCWASA November meeting, when the awards were announced. “The Authority should be commended for these accomplishments.” Destadio was in attendance at the meeting due to his role on the Peachtree City Planning Commission. He is an engineer by profession as well for CH2M Hill.

The GAWP Public Education Award for Best New Media judges water and sewer utility websites, social media platforms, blogs, etc. according to the amount of public information addressing key issues that impact the public, especially the utility’s customers. The PCWASA website – at www.pcwasa.org – features news and information on relevant topics such as the Authority’s waste water reuse and the proper disposal of household fats, oils, and grease (FOG), among others.

The Best Direct Media GAWP Public Education Award recognizes the utility with the best newsletter, billing insert, brochure or other collateral material, which likewise provides key educational messages for target audiences.

PCWASA’s customer newsletter – The Pipeline – is published at least twice each year and distributed to customers through a billing insert. Fayette Water System, which handles customer billing for PCWASA, inserts the Authority’s newsletter at no additional cost for postage or handling, since the weight of the publication does not cause the entire customer bill to exceed one ounce.

“Educating the public about issues that are important to them – and which impact our system and operations – is critically important,” says Stephen Hogan, PCWASA General Manager. “We choose to be proactive in informing our customers, especially, because we want them to be more knowledgeable about what it is that we do in the community, and what they can do to help us.”

As an example, Hogan notes that something as simple as customer compliance in properly disposing of household grease can save the utility thousands of dollars in system maintenance and potential fines from regulatory agencies, which can occur with sewer spills and overflows caused by sewer lines clogged with grease.

The GAWP Public Education Awards are expected to be presented by officials from the professional association to the PCWASA Board during the Authority’s December meeting.

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu OR chris@jwapr.com (email)

Oct 27, 2014 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

Keisha Lisbon-Thorpe (right), PCWASA Division Manager of Technical Services, co-chairs the Georgia Model Water Tower Competition Committee, in addition to serving as a Vice Chair of the Georgia Section of the American Water Works Association.

The Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) continued its role as a utility involved in public outreach with its support of the 2014 Georgia Model Water Tower Competition. Authority employees helped organize this statewide engineering challenge for students, held last month at Woodland Middle School in Stockbridge.

This Competition is hosted by the Georgia Section of the American Water Works Association (GAWWA) and the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP). The annual event challenged local students to design and build a water tower with specific size and height requirements, which were judged by Pam Burnett, Executive Director of GAWP, Kelly Comstock, Chair of GAWWA, and Karl Nelson, Georgia Service Center Manager with Utility Service Group – a water tank professional.

Keisha Lisbon-Thorpe, PCWASA Division Manager of Technical Services, is Co-Chair of the event, while also serving as Vice Chair of GAWWA. Stephen Hogan, PCWASA General Manager, volunteers each year as an advisor for the student competitors.

“This competition allows us to introduce local students to the nature of the water and sewer industry, including the importance of treatment processes and the proper design and operation of infrastructure,” says Lisbon-Thorpe. “A properly constructed water tower serves as an ideal project to represent the type of engineering challenge water professionals face every day.”

The water tower models were judged based on three criteria, including structural efficiency, hydraulic efficiency, and design ingenuity. In addition, judges conducted interviews with the students to inquire about the specifics of their model water tower construction projects. Jessica Grimes of Austin Road Middle School was the overall winner of this year’s event, as a result of her submitting an artistic and operational “minion” water tower.

“This is a great opportunity for the kids, especially the girls, because they usually don’t get exposed to engineering to think of it as a career choice,” says Elizabeth Davenport, sixth grade science teacher and organizer of the Model Water Tower Competition at Woodland Middle School, the host site of the event. Davenport says students learn more about the water industry, too, where jobs are readily available for qualified professionals.

“This is an awesome program and the kids love it and get excited about it,” she adds. “We have more kids apply for the event than we have spaces available.”

Davenport points out that the Georgia Model Water Tower Competition addresses all four components of STEM education – science, technology, engineering, and math – curricula being emphasized by public educators on the federal, state, and local levels. Students also don’t have to be enrolled in advanced placement (AP) courses to participate in the event, she adds.

To enter the statewide competition, students must design and construct model water towers from various household items, but are rewarded for using creative designs and innovative materials.
The objective of the Georgia Model Water Tower Competition is to make participants more aware of the importance of reliable drinking water, while introducing them to rewarding (career) opportunities available in the water profession. To do so, the competition requires students to develop an idea into a functioning water tower, just as water professionals do within the industry.

Austin Road Middle School faculty member Brigitte Warde sees the potential growth of the event due to its increased popularity among students.

“We’re hoping to make science cool for students, and this event has the potential to do that while getting even bigger in the future,” she says.

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu OR chris@jwapr.com (email)

Aug 18, 2014 by Chris Wood, Ph.D.

PCWASA added Lift Station #36 at Meade Field (shown above) in the fall of 2013, and the utility has plans to add Lift Station #37 this coming year.

As the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) marked the one-year anniversary of the opening of the Meade Field Pump Station #36, the utility was making plans to construct another lift station to accommodate new development and subsequent customers coming online.

During the August PCWASA Meeting, the Authority Board authorized $272,000 from the utility’s Renewal and Extension Fund to invest in the Lift Station #37 project. The new lift station will be located along Highway 54 North, across from the Publix shopping center. It will serve a proposed development of Southtree Properties, who will share the costs of construction according to a proposed developer’s agreement with the Authority. The new lift station also will accommodate any future growth in the area and potential tie-ins from existing properties in the vicinity currently on septic.

Last fall, Authority contractors from Willow Construction completed the work on Lift Station #36 for the low bid of approximately $525,000. This lift station primarily serves two new residential developments along Highway 74 – The Gates and Somerby at Peachtree City – while enhancing the availability of sewer for other potential customers in this area. The Gates is a 90 lot single family residential subdivision, while Somerby is a senior citizen assisted living and memory care community.

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu OR chris@jwapr.com (email)

Sep 18, 2013 by Dr. Chris Wood

Contractors from Willow Construction work toward the recent completion of the Meade Field Pump Station project, which included installation of 2,400 linear feet of 8-inch PVC gravity sewer line and more than 4,500 linear feet of 6-inch HDPE force main.

Signs of quality growth, as tenuous as they may be in today’s economy, can come in the most unusual of places. In Peachtree City, the construction of an additional pump station within the sewer system’s service area is a sign that new customers from two residential development projects are coming online.

The Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) recently completed its half-a-million-dollar Meade Field Regional Pump Station 36, which is fully operational following inspection and testing before coming online by Labor Day weekend. The construction project took a little longer than the anticipated 120 days for substantial completion, due to unusually rainy weather; but more importantly, the work was done within budget, says Stephen Hogan, PCWASA General Manager.

Since the PCWASA Board of Directors awarded the low bid of $525,851 to Willow Construction during a special called meeting on March 20, the Authority and its contractor(s) had to overcome some unique challenges during the project, says Nathan Brooks, PCWASA Construction Manager. For starters, at the location of the pump station, crews found a high level of ground water while excavating, requiring a pump to withdraw the water from the site for the duration of this phase of construction. In addition, the work had to be coordinated with local athletic associations while the parking lot for the Jim Meade Memorial Athletic Fields was disrupted.

The Meade Field project not only included construction of the regional pump station, but the installation of more than 4,500 linear feet of 6-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) force main and 2,400 linear feet of 8-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gravity sewer, as well as 12 sanitary sewer manholes.

Hogan says the Meade Field Pump Station initially will serve customers of two new residential developments, while enhancing the availability of sewer, which is preferred over septic in the City.

The first new development is a property of Southern Pines Plantation Commercial Group, LLC. “The Gates” is a planned 90 lot single-family residential subdivision, featuring a recreational area, open space, and cart paths. The development also includes two parcels for office/institutional development at the intersection of Highway 74 and Redwine Road.

The second local development to be served by the Meade Field Pump Station is a senior living rental community envisioned by Dominion Senior Living of Peachtree City, LLC. Dominion, in a joint venture with Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, began construction on “Somerby at Peachtree City” in October of last year. This community is located at the intersection of Highway 74 and Rockaway Road and is designed to provide assisted living and memory care to senior citizens of Peachtree City and the surrounding communities within Fayette County.

Hogan says the Meade Field Pump Station project is a case study of a “win-win” for private-public partnerships between developers, such as those backing The Gates and Somerby, and utilities, such as PCWASA. As evidence, he notes the parties are sharing the costs of bringing this critically important sewer infrastructure online, as outlined in the Development Agreement adopted by the Authority, which accompanied the award of the low bid at the PCWASA March called meeting.

“The Authority and its customers will reap the benefits of the revenues from sewer services that will be coming from these two properties for many years to come,” says Hogan. “Not to mention, there could be additional customers coming on board in the future now that sewer is available in this area.”

Officials also have noted that the newest PCWASA pump station will help garner additional revenues for Peachtree City, made possible by the Meade Fields recreational area now being more ideally suited to host athletic tournaments and special events.

Media Contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu (email)
chris@jwapr.com (email)

May 10, 2013 by Dr. Chris Wood

Mike Harman (left) was elected by his fellow PCWASA Members to serve another term as Chairman of the Board.

Mike Harman continues as Chairman, Phil Mahler selected as Vice Chairman and Terry Garlock as Secretary/Treasurer

Following the recent appointments of three new board members and an alternate to the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) by the City Council, the Authority Board elected a new slate of officers to serve in their respective leadership capacities for the remainder of this year, unless the composition of the board changes prior to that time.

The new slate of officers was elected by unanimous vote, with Mike Harman asked to continue service as Chairman, while Phil Mahler takes the reins as Vice Chairman and newcomer Terry Garlock accepts the role of Secretary/Treasurer. Harman and Mahler have extensive experience on the PCWASA Board, as the two are the only holdovers from last year who are in the midst of their respective terms. Garlock, who fills the unexpired term of former PCWASA Member Vanessa Birrell, joins John Cheatham and John Harrell, who fills the unexpired term of former Board Member Luis Valencia, as newly appointed members joining the Authority in March, along with Alternate Board Member Bill Holland.

The current PCWASA Board brings diversity in professional experience to this avenue of public service, which excites the Chairman, who actively encouraged fellow citizens to volunteer for those board seats that had been vacant since January.

“I’m honored to be asked to continue service as Chairman of the Authority Board, and I will do my best to engage all board members in the critical policy decisions that we will face in the future,” says Harman. “I think we have a great group, and I look forward to working with each of them. I believe we have things headed in the right direction, evident in the projects we have underway to improve the system and enhance services for the citizens of Peachtree City. I hope we can continue the positive momentum we have developed in the community, especially since our 15th Anniversary last year.”

Chairman Harman is the Manager of Municipal Sales for Biorem, a company that provides air pollution control technology and equipment for wastewater treatment processes and other industries. Thus, his professional experience within the wastewater industry is invaluable to his leadership role as Chairman of the PCWASA Board of Directors.

PCWASA Vice-Chairman Phil Mahler has resided in Peachtree City since 2006, after his retirement as a federal agent who performed and supervised audits of businesses for the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Secretary-Treasurer Terry Garlock has been a resident of Peachtree City for approximately 20 years, with professional experience as a Certified Financial Planner who has served businesses in a number of capacities, including consulting, auditing, as well as in regulatory, investigative, and executive capacities.

The Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority meets on the first Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the utility’s headquarters office, located at 1127 Highway 74 in Peachtree City. Board meetings are open to public, as Board Members encourage and welcome citizens of Peachtree City to attend. For updates on board meetings and more, citizens can log onto the “Resource Center” and other pages of this Web site (www.pcwasa.org).

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu (email)

Apr 26, 2013 by Dr. Chris Wood

Lynda Price, Business Manager for PCWASA, received praise from the Authority Board for her hard work during the annual independent audit, which resulted in no findings and a clean opinion of the utility’s financial statements.

According to independent auditors who perused the financial statements of the Peachtree City Water and Sewerage Authority (PCWASA) in great detail to complete the arduous task that is an annual audit, the utility is in rare company. It’s one of only a small number of local authorities and governments that had no findings – errors or oversights by omission or commission – in its independent audit for fiscal year 2012.

David Irwin, representing the Authority’s independent auditors at Mauldin & Jenkins, says his firm conducts approximately 180 audits for municipal government clients throughout the state, and PCWASA was among those rare 20 percent that had no findings in the audit of its books from this past year. Irwin presented the Mauldin & Jenkins independent annual audit of PCWASA at the April Authority Board Meeting.

“The audit went very well this year, resulting in a clean opinion, and we didn’t have any audit findings,” said Irwin, during his presentation to the PCWASA Board. “That really is a reflection of the quality of work by the Authority and its staff. You are proactive and not reactive, wanting (financial statements) recorded right the first time, rather than seeking corrections during the auditing process.”

The clean audit opinion from Mauldin & Jenkins reflects the firm’s professional assessment that the financial statements of PCWASA present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Authority, as a component unit of Peachtree City, Georgia, as of the end of this past fiscal year (FY 2012), which was September 30, 2012. Thus, the changes in financial position, and cash flows thereof for the year, ended in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States.

In lay terms, a clean audit opinion reflects that the auditors obtained reasonable assurance the financial statements of PCWASA are free of material misstatement.

Highlighting specific details of the independent annual audit, Irwin noted the Authority’s operating income of a little more than $3.1 million, with a positive change in net assets of $1.75 million – results that were “quite impressive.”

In addition, Irwin pointed out that cash flows from operating activities, one of the most critical reflections of financial strength of an organization, were up approximately $762,000 from the previous fiscal year. Thus, the positive results of net increase in cash and cash equivalents of more than $1.4 million.

“You should be proud of the strong and healthy cash position of the Authority,” said Irwin. “The Authority is in good shape financially, and in a good position moving forward.”

PCWASA Chairman Mike Harman praised the work of the Authority staff in its day-to-day accounting, as well as the hard work that went into assisting Mauldin & Jenkins with the independent annual audit, mentioning the work of PCWASA Business Manager Lynda Price specifically.

“We’re very fortunate to not have a finding this year, and to have had a clean audit opinion for the past five years or more,” said Harman. “I think this year’s audit is another indication of the sound business decisions we’ve made to assure the Authority maintains a strong financial position for the future, so we can provide the best possible services for our customers.”

Media contact:
Chris Wood, Ph.D.
770-757-1681 (phone)
jcwood@uga.edu