Visions 2015 Rockdale News Special Section | Page 15

sewer & water

More water and
sewer for more jobs
By Michelle kim

W

ater is the next precious commodity – more valuable than
gold or oil – to determine the
fate of communities across the globe, predicts Dwight Wicks.
As the director of Rockdale Water Resources, which
provides drinking water to most of Rockdale’s residents and
sewer lines to about 40 percent of households, he’s seen how
water and sewer – or the lack of it – can affect a community’s
economic development, health and more.
“Water plays a role in all things. What I want to do is
maintain and set forward a plan for us to be sustainable in
the future,” said Wicks. “My vision is to continue to maintain
Rockdale County as a water independent community.”
He added this can only be achieved by a team effort of all
the parties in the county – Board of Commissioners, Water
and Sewerage Authority, which advises and maintains the
financial oversight of the water and sewer system, and the
community.
“We have to be preparing for what tomorrow is going to
demand of us,” said Bill Murrain, chairman of the Water and
Sewerage Authority.
There are four key areas to maintain Rockdale’s water independence, said Wicks.
Increasing the water supply is one critical area. “Our reservoir
has been adequate to serve our needs, but as the county continues to grow, we have challenges. We can’t just plan for today’s
needs; we have to be planning 5-10 years down the road,” sais
Murrain.
While Georgia may be receiving plenty of rain right now,
it was only a few years ago that the state was going through a
severe drought. Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are wrangling
right now with a case heading to the Supreme Court over water rights. Increasing the Randy Poynter Reservoir capacity, either by dredging or other means, and increasing water storage
tanks are other options to look at. Identifying another source
of water in the rocky southern half of Rockdale, whether it’s
surface water or underground water, is another goal for RWR.

Continued on page 21

(Top) Randy Poynter Reservoir
serves as Rockdale's source
of drinking
water.
(Left) A
cross
section
of water
pipe
from
the
1980s
that was
recently
taken out
of Railroad Street
in Olde Town
Conyers.

S. Ellis

Healthcare Services, LLC

Specializing in Private Home Healthcare
• Nursing • Personal Care • Companion/Sitter Services
Now Accepting Medicaid and
Offering Non-Medical Transportation
2055 Gees Mill Roa