The Forsyth County Water and Sewer Department has recently completed upgrades and expansions to a water reclamation facility (WRF) and is in the process expanding and finalizing upgrades at another facility.

System improvements were recently completed at the James Creek WRF, including those that would influence reliability and redundancy. These upgrades followed a project in 2018 that increased the facility’s capacity from 1 million gallons per day (MGD) to 2.5 MGD. The James Creek WRF was constructed in 2006-2007 to serve the residential communities in the drainage basins of James Creek and Daves Creek.  

The Fowler WRF is currently undergoing an expansion that will increase capacity from 2.5 MGD to 5 MGD. The expansion is being made to accommodate growth in the area, as well as provide redundancy within the system. The Fowler facility is scheduled to undergo several additional improvements, including upgrades to existing systems and equipment. These improvements are expected to be completed by the fall of 2020.

Like all Forsyth County WRFs, the Fowler and James Creek facilities comply with Georgia Environmental Protection Division requirements regarding the return of reclaimed water into the environment.  

“Lake Lanier is the source of drinking water for Forsyth County and other metro Atlanta communities,” said Water and Sewer Department Director Tim Perkins. “As good stewards of our water resources, Forsyth County is looking to return a larger percentage of withdrawn water back into the lake than previously planned. We do this through proper management of our entire system, including water reclamation facilities, in a way that helps meet the Atlanta area’s long-term water supply needs. Returning reclaimed water to Lake Lanier not only extends and protects our water supply from drought, it also helps maintain lake levels and is highly desired by our neighbors in Florida and Alabama who want us to return this valuable water to the river system.”