ABOUT PUBLIC UTILITIES

The Gainesville Public Utilities Department (PUD) is the winner of many state and national awards for quality and operations. The PUD assures that Gainesville and Hall County residents have a continuous supply of the best water in Georgia, as well as sanitary sewer service. The City of Gainesville owns and operates the largest public water supply, wastewater treatment, and distribution system within Hall County, Georgia. As of 2006, The PUD is providing water service to approximately 47,000 meters (serving more than 115,000 residents) including approximately 34,770 customers outside the City limits. During January and February of 2006, Gainesville completed integration with the Hall County Water System, which added another 850 customer accounts to Gainesville’s system.

The System provides sewer service to approximately 8,000 sewer customers, including approximately 1,900 customers outside the City limits.

The water supply system of the City began in the late 1800s as a tax supported system providing limited water service to residents within the City limits and became self-supporting in the 1940s. As the population adjacent to the City increased, extensions were made to serve users outside the City limits when service lines were available. By the year 2000, approximately 79 percent of the System’s water customers existed outside the City limits.

The source of supply of raw water for the System is Lake Lanier, an impoundment of the Chattahoochee River that is owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of engineers.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division (EPD) also governs water withdrawal from Lake Lanier through its water withdrawal permitting process. The City has two raw water withdrawal permits. The permit for the Riverside Drive Water Treatment Plant (WTP) allows the City to withdraw up to 25 MGD. In August 1999, the City and County received a permit for the Lakeside WTP from EPD authorizing an additional withdrawal of 10 MGD.

Subsequent to the initial development of the water system, sanitary sewers were constructed beginning in the late 1800’s in those areas of the City where topography permitted gravity flow to a point of discharge along the Chattahoochee River or a flowing stream. The operating cost of this sewer system was tax supported as a City service until approximately 1945, and no charge was made for connection to or use of the System. With the impoundment of the Chattahoochee River to form Lake Lanier, sewage treatment became mandatory. There are now two separate City sewer systems serving the City and surrounding areas of Hall County. The Flat Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) treats residential, commercial and industrial wastewater and is permitted to treat up to 10.2 MGD. The Linwood WRF treats primarily residential wastewater and is permitted to treat up to 2.7 MGD.