Accessing the water could be years away
A few years from now, Gilmer County may be able to nearly double its water supply, executive director of the Ellijay-Gilmer County Water and Sewer Authority (EGCWS), Gary McVey said.
“We can draw 4 million gallons a day from this well,” he said, referring to the well at Whitestone Mines. Construction for the final parts of the project could begin by 2027, he said.
The Whitestone Mines are abandoned stone mines in the county. They hold a large store of clean ground water that is yet untapped by the EGCWS.
“This is some of the cleanest water I’ve ever seen in my life,” McVey said. “It will require minimal treatment.”
Currently the authority can draw 4 million gallons daily from the Cartecay River and another 1.5 million gallons from the Ellijay River, he said.
Today, the cities and county use about 3.6 million gallons per day. If the EGCWS can harness the water in the Whitestone Mines, it will leave the authority extremely well-prepared for any population growth.
“It’s gonna take us into the next 50 to 75 years,” McVey said.
At this point, the authority has almost everything it needs to draw water, he said.
The Whitestone Mines well is located on a property off Talona Road owned by Dr. Hank Gobele. He is willing to allow the authority to lease their property to access the water, McVey said.
The system also has a permit for the well.
But it would require a pipeline going from the well to storage tanks. This pipeline still requires approval from the Environmental Protection Agency, McVey said.
We’ve had our finger on the pulse down there for 20 years,” he said. “We’ve finally got to the point with growth where we’ve felt like we’ve needed to pursue it closer.”
As of now, building a pipeline is still in the planning stages and has no hard estimates, McVey said.
Although the project will likely be expensive, McVey said he foresees no “significant increase” in water rates from the project.
The mines and their water might also provide the county a source of income.
According to the Pickens County Progress, Jasper Mayor Kirk Raffield has announced a potential deal. Pickens and Jasper would buy 500,000 gallons of the Whitestone Mines water each day from EGCWS.
“We have some of the lowest rates around, and we’re pretty proud to keep those rates as low as we can,” McVey said.