CCWSA Chattahoochee River Raw Water Supply Program

CCWSA had been seeking a new water withdrawal permit on the Chattahoochee River since the early 2000s. In December 2021, in a renewed effort to increase water access for communities south of Atlanta and to secure the water supply during Georgia’s dry seasons, they partnered with Garver to attain a permit from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to withdraw water from the Chattahoochee River as a critical supplement for B.T. Brown Reservoir and as a support for a new water supply program.

A pumping station to supply raw water from the Chattahoochee to CCWSA’s customers would be key to the overall program, as would the new water withdrawal permit. Garver worked with CCWSA to define the project needs, pumping station location, design criteria, 10% plans, and alternative routes for the pipeline.

To advance permitting efforts, Garver compiled existing information and performed analysis of the water in B.T. Brown Reservoir and the Chattahoochee, coordinating with the EPD to officially apply for the permit in April 2022. By summer of 2022, EPD issued an official draft withdrawal permit with two major stipulations: CCWSA had to purchase the property indicated in the application, which was currently owned by Georgia Power, and obtain a United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) 404 Permit for the withdrawal program.

This was no small order; to meet both requirements, CCWSA would have to make significant investments. Knowing how beneficial the program would be to the region and the stress of seeing the reservoir level drop during drought, they elected to move forward. In support, Garver fast-tracked preliminary design for the river pump station, the route study for the pipeline, and all complex permitting activities. One year, and over 20 approvals from Georgia Power internal stakeholder groups later, the necessary work was accomplished for CCWSA to successfully acquire the property in August 2023.

Simultaneously, Garver’s team was securing the required USACE 404 Permit, assisting CCWSA with environmental and archaeological site investigations, fieldwork, agency coordination, wetland delineation, permit and drawing preparation, and submission services. Coordinating with USACE every step of the way, Garver kept the project moving forward and CCWSA obtained the official 404 permit by late 2023.

As a result of the permitting support and 10% design, Garver was selected as prime consultant for the Chattahoochee Raw Water Pumping Station and Raw Water Pipeline project, providing design of the pumping station and pipeline, along with additional permitting coordination and construction services.

The project is now under construction and Garver continues to serve CCWSA as an on-call consultant, currently conducting river water sampling and collaborating with Georgia EPD’s Safe Drinking Water Unit on the plan for treatment of this new water source.