State provides $86M for water, sewer projects

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

State officials have approved $86 million in funding for nine projects meant to finance water and sewer projects across Georgia.

Gov. Sonny Perdue and other leaders say fixing leaking water systems and upgrading wastewater treatment plants will help solve Georgia's water woes. The state is locked in a long-running feud with neighboring Alabama and Florida over water use across the region.

Atlanta will receive a $7 million loan to upgrade a wastewater treatment plant. The plant will use a special heat and power recovery system to generate about 16 percent of the electricity it needs to operate.

Clayton city is getting a $750,000 loan to pay for new water distribution lines, which are meant to reduce water loss from the system.