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Utilities Department
How to Contact
Utilities Department
EMERGENCY CONTACT
Phone: (706) 842-3060
Canal Questions
Phone: (706) 312-4154
Const. & Main South
Phone: (706) 842-3060
Administration Office
360 Bay Street, Suite 180
Augusta, GA 30901
Phone: (706) 312-4154
Fax: (706) 312-4123
Engineering Office
360 Bay Street, Suite 180
Augusta, GA 30901
Phone: (706) 312-4132
Fax: (706) 312-4133
South Office
2760 Peach Orchard Road
Augusta, GA 30906
Phone: (706) 842-3050
Fax: (706) 771-2646
Central Avenue Office
2822 Central Avenue
Augusta, GA 30906
Phone: (706) 842-1925
Fax: (706) 733-7825
Downtown Office
Greene Street
Augusta, GA 30901
Phone: (706) 821-1851
Fax: (706) 821-1859
Related Sites
Augusta
Utilities Department
Engineering Information
General Information About Our System:
The Augusta Utilities Department currently provides water and sewer to a service area of 230 square miles and a population of over 160,000. Our distribution system consists of approximately 1,200 miles of water mains
Treatment of surface water occurs at the Highland Avenue surface water treatment plant (filter plant). The Filtration Plant with a design capacity of 60 MGD, provides the majority of the water supply. Average daily plant flows are approximately 24 MGD.
Raw water for this plant is withdrawn from the Savannah River. The Raw Water Pumping Station, located off Riverwatch Parkway, utilizes the water from the Augusta Canal to hydro mechanically power the pumps which pump the water from the Savannah River to the Highland Avenue filter plant. This station has been in operation since the late 1800’s.
Two ground water plants, Plants No. 1 and No. 2, have design capacities of approximately 10 MGD each. Ten wells provide raw water to Plant No.2 and 14 wells provide raw water to Plant No.1. There are a total of 28 ground water wells in operation. All wells withdraw water from the same aquifer. Average daily flows from ground water is approximately 15 MG.
The Highland Avenue Filtration Plant is a conventional surface water treatment plant. Raw water is collected from the Savannah River via the canal and stored in two reservoirs located adjacent to the plant.
Raw water is treated with lime, fluoride, chlorine, and/or corrosion control
chemicals to ensure the water is safe for drinking.
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Wastewater
Our system consists of 850 miles of gravity sewer. In addition to gravity sanitary sewer lines, Augusta Utilities’ collection system assets include force mains, maintenance access structures (e.g., manholes), and lift stations.
There are approximately 30 sanitary sewer pump stations in the system. We have two wastewater treatment plants. James B. Messerly Waste Water Treatment Plant, located near the Augusta airport, is the main treatment plant for Augusta, GA, and the Spirit Creek Treatment Plant, a much smaller plant.
The James B. Messerly WWTP treats approximately 34 MGD of raw sewage from the collection system. The plant is a conventional activated sludge plant followed by wetlands for tertiary treatment. The Spirit Creek Plant treats approximately 2.2 MGD from the Spirit Creek basin, located south of Tobacco Road.
Where Our Water Comes From
Unlike other commodities, water is not manufactured. It is continually recycled naturally. The process is known as the hydrologic cycle. It is the movement of water from surface water, groundwater, and vegetation to the atmosphere and back to the earth in the form of precipitation.
One of the uses of the hydrologic cycle is in the estimation of surface storage. Storage can be increased by constructing reservoirs, restricting consumptive uses, and importing water. Augusta Utilities must consider all these.
Surface water sources are generally rivers, lakes, or man-made reservoirs. River water usually contains bacterial contaminants and requires extensive treatment before it can be distributed. Higher costs are associated with such treatment.
Ground water is water from the saturated subsurface zone just below the water table. Ground-water quality is usually more consistent than other water sources because the soil helps to filter it. However, ground water generally contains a higher concentration of dissolved minerals than surface waters, and are usually harder. Additionally, pumping ground water is usually more expensive than pumping surface water. Augusta's ground water supply comes from numerous wells, which is more difficult to deal with since each produces water of different chemical characteristics. The water from the wells are then blended and treated, which makes adding wells or taking a well out of service a concern. Ground-water withdrawals should be located a safe distance from potential sources of pollution. Therefore, as Augusta grows and develops, there is less space available to provide this safe distance and the need to move towards surface water as our water source increases.
Augusta utilizes both surface and ground water as water sources. After the water is treated, it is typically stored for distribution. Water is stored in reservoirs. Distribution reservoirs are usually located in the outlying areas to provide the necessary pressure for the area during peak demand periods. The necessary pressure is provided by elevating the reservoir (i.e., elevated storage tank or locating the reservoir at the highest area), or utilizing a ground reservoir with a booster station. The cost for construction of any elevated storage is considerable; however, ground-storage tanks and reservoirs with booster stations have long-term costs associated with operation and maintenance of the pumps. All drinking water storage is highly regulated and the Utilities Department must deal with increasingly strict regulations.