Thursday, February 1, 2024–2:15 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
It is now anticipated that a total of $184 million will go into the city’s water and sewer budget from the settlement with carpet manufacturers, chemical companies, and others regarding per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the drinking water supply in the Oostanaula River.
During Thursday’s Rome Water and Sewer Committee Toni Rhinehart went over the numbers, as of November, the last month available. There was $154 million in settlement funds in the bank and $30 million more is anticipated in the coming years.
“In four years we will get $5 million per year, and for five years, we will get $2 million a year from some of the entities,” Rhinehart said. “So, the total will be $184 million, when all is said and done.”
The $154 million already on hand makes up the vast majority of the water and sewer department’s $179 million cash balance.
“Those are some big numbers, but we have some big expenses coming up,” said Rome Water and Sewer Director John Boyd.
The settlements, which were approved by the Rome City Commission in June and September of last year, allowed the city to roll back water rate hikes incurred from the cost of filtering the PFAS family of chemicals from the water supply. The loss of revenue resulting from the rollback is being negated by an increase in interest income, which was $161,000 in 2022 but grew to $3.7 million in 2023.
The settlement funds also will cover the construction and maintenance of a reverse osmosis water treatment facility to completely remove the chemicals from the river. The estimated cost of that facility — to be located on Riverside Parkway — was stated earlier this year at approximately $100 million. However, the estimated cost is likely to increase as construction costs continue to rise across the market.
The PFOAS and PFAS chemicals, also known as “forever chemicals,” are widely used to make carpets and other items stain-resistant. The chemicals have been linked to numerous adverse health impacts and break down very slowly, so they persist in the environment for a long time.
According to Boyd, the goal for 2024 is to continue the design phase for the reverse osmosis water treatment facility that will be located on Riverside Parkway and to move into the construction phase, which could start as early as late 2024 or 2025.
Boyd added the staff reorganization plan in preparation for the facility coming online will continue in 2024. That will include the hiring of two maintenance technicians, one laboratory analyst or laboratory analyst trainee, and four operators or operator trainees. He said it’s important to start early because it can be challenging to find and hire qualified operators.
