City water issues stretch back years

May 10—The city of Milledgeville's water troubles are far from a new issue.

The string of incidents stretch back more than seven years with around 13 boil water advisories put into effect since April 2016, according to newspaper records. Not every advisory has been citywide. Some have been localized to neighborhoods and streets near where a water main break occurs. The issues aren't all the same either. Most of Milledgeville's boil water advisories are enacted due to breaks in the city water service lines, or mains. Cold weather was the culprit just after Christmas 2022 as frigid temperatures caused multiple water main breaks. Most recently, a motor that operates a large pump at the city's Lamar Hamm Water Treatment Plant went out. System supply could not meet demand causing water pressure to drop to dangerously-low levels. A boil water advisory went into effect last Thursday and was lifted last Saturday when water samples taken produced favorable results.

A look back into the newspaper's coverage shows that whenever a water issue crops up, there's often talk of a need for infrastructure improvements. Seven years since the first major incident, Milledgeville is averaging better than one boil water advisory per year.

Here's a historical look at city water issues past.

April 2016

A 14-inch cast iron water main in Fishing Creek between Oak Hill Middle School and the Baldwin County Board of Education ruptured. The local public school system along with Georgia College & State University closed for two days near the end of the academic year and more than 100 local businesses were affected. The hospital that was then known as Oconee Regional Medical Center City (ORMC), now Atrium Health Navicent Baldwin, stopped admitting patients and rescheduled non-emergency surgeries. City water customers that experienced low water pressure were placed under a boil water advisory for about three days.

July 2016

Five water main breaks over the course of three days forced the city's second boil water advisory in just over three months. The advisory was put into effect for four days. The Baldwin County Health Department reported that about 110 businesses were affected, but this time around about 30 of them were allowed to remain open due to having adopted water contingency plans.

After this second water system incident, the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce hosted a town hall for the business community and city leadership to discuss the issue. At the event, then-hospital interim CEO Steven Johnson called the water woes "embarrassing" for the local medical facility as it tried to serve patients. Johnny Grant, a former state senator who was with GCSU at the time, said the water issues were "a major concern" for the college, which is one of the largest employers in Baldwin County.

The city, meanwhile, reported that it spent $558,000 on water and sewer repairs in fiscal year 2016 compared to $240,000 in FY2015 as it looked to patch up the aging water infrastructure.

January 2017

Residents between Clarke and Tattnall streets were placed under a boil water advisory after a 10-inch water main break under Greene Street. Shortly after that break was repaired, a second break occurred only about 10 feet away. The affected line was a newer one, so city water officials believed low temperatures were the cause.

About two weeks after the breaks on Greene Street, another happened in the area of McIntosh, Hancock and Columbia streets. Another boil water advisory was put into place for affected city water customers in that area.

July 2018

A water line break on Blandy Road forced a boil water advisory for residents in the Allenwood subdivision, GCSU's West Campus Drive, Magnolia Park Apartments, and city water customers on Ga. Highway 49. This time it was an 8-inch main that ruptured and sent water shooting high out of the ground until the repair was made.

August 2018

The former Central State Hospital grounds were the site of the city's next significant water line break. The local prisons, Baldwin State Prison and Riverbend Correctional Facility, were affected as well as residents on Colony Farm Road. A Georgia Department of Corrections spokesperson said Baldwin State Prison served meals on styrofoam plates to conserve water while a boil advisory was put in place.

October 2019

Four main breaks within a half-mile of one another affected city water customers near East Walton Street, Orchard Hill Road and Barrows Ferry Road. No boil water advisories had to be issued this time, however, as city officials said water continued running through the lines as repairs were made. Boil advisories are necessary when water pressure drops to dangerously-low levels, allowing backflow of water of unknown quality to enter the system.

February 2020

A water main leak around South Wayne Street, Greene Street and Swint Avenue affected water pressure enough that a boil water advisory was enacted.

January 2021

A boil water advisory was issued for the aforementioned East Walton Street, Orchard Hill Road, Barrows Ferry Road area after a water main break on Barrows Ferry.

July 2022

Last summer, a water main break at the intersection of West Montgomery and North Columbia streets created the need for a boil advisory. The break resulted in residents and businesses in the area having low water pressure for more than a week. A second advisory was issued about five days later when another break was found at South Columbia and Greene streets. Bottled water was brought in by the Milledgeville Coca-Cola Bottling Company to be given out to affected residents.

December 2022

Just after Christmas, multiple water main breaks caused a boil water advisory to be put into effect for water customers north of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and west of the Highway 441 bypass. Freezing temperatures forced crews to wait for the ground to thaw before repairs could be made. Water distribution centers were set up around town to try and bridge the interruption in service as city water tanks were severely depleted. City officials reported that 14 water main repairs were made during the crisis period.

Following the post-Christmas crisis, city leaders again raised the point that Milledgeville's water infrastructure is "antiquated," and costs associated with replacing old lines were only increasing. Some funds the city received from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic, about $1 million, are being directed toward the purchase and installation of a SCADA water system that will allow water employees to pinpoint issues faster when they arise.

February 2023

A raw water line that takes water from the Oconee River to one of the city's water treatment plants experienced a failure different from a conventional water main break. A piece that had been installed to relieve pressure "blew off," according to City Manager Hank Griffeth. The Baldwin County School District canceled classes, the hospital canceled surgeries, and operations at local industrial plant Zschimmer & Schwarz were affected. A boil water advisory was issued.

April 2023

The most recent city water event. A motor powering a pump at the Hamm plant went out, keeping water system supply from meeting customer demand. The city eventually issued a boil water advisory to all city water customers excluding the Central State Hospital campus. Residents were also encouraged to conserve water in order to allow tanks to refill. The Baldwin County School District and GMC Prep were out of school multiple days, and elective surgeries at the hospital were canceled. Restaurants were heavily affected, but were able to give customers bottled/canned drinks and serve food on disposable plates in order to remain open. Even though many were able to continue operations, bottom lines were affected as they had to make those extra purchases in order to keep serving.

The latest citywide boil water advisory lasted two days before being lifted last Saturday afternoon.

—Information compiled from coverage by The Union-Recorder reporter Billy W. Hobbs.