MARIETTA — Cole Blackwell, general manager of the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority, believes planning for the future is critical for a consistent water supply.
Blackwell, who spoke at the Kiwanis Club of Marietta’s weekly luncheon, said his goal was to give a more comprehensive understanding of the water authority, while highlighting factors that influence water reliability.
The water authority sells water to Cobb County and the cities of Austell, Marietta, and Smyrna, among others. It’s governed by a seven-member board, including Cobb Chairwoman Lisa Cupid, Marietta Councilman Grif Chalfant and Smyrna Councilman Corkey Welch.
Planning for a sustainable water supply, to Blackwell, means focusing on water quality, affordability and infrastructure reliability.
“The water quality in (Lake) Allatoona and the Chattahoochee (River) is constantly changing. And, I’ll just be honest with you, as more and more people live in our area, the water quality in our lakes and our rivers goes down,” he said.
The water authority primarily gets its water from Lake Allatoona and the Chattahoochee, with water reserves in the Hickory Log Creek Reservoir.
Blackwell said the main emerging contaminants the water authority is focusing on are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, often described as “forever chemicals.”
“They are pervasive and they are long lasting chemicals. They don’t decay over time, some of them take decades to decay.”
He said PFAS are found in cleaning products, dental floss, food packaging such as popcorn bags and pizza boxes, water-repellent clothing, cosmetics and more.
PFAS contamination comes from water leeching from closed landfills along the river and lake.
The good news, however, is that the water authority is able to treat and remove PFAS contaminates if needed.
He also said current contamination levels in both bodies of water are not dangerous.
“The amount of PFAS that’s in the Chattahoochee and the amount of PFAS that’s actually in Allatoona Lake is well below maximum contaminant levels,” he said.
If PFAS contamination rises to a dangerous level, under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the area would be designated a superfund site, and could drive up water prices for consumers, according to Blackwell.
“We are planning proactively to address degrading water concerns,” Blackwell told the MDJ.
Joan Bloom, an associate judge for Marietta Municipal Court, told the MDJ she’d never considered the impacts of PFAS in the water system, but she has great faith in the water authority.
“We have some of the best water in the United States, so that makes me really proud,” she said.
Responding to questions from the crowd, Blackwell confirmed the water authority is continuing to add fluoride to the water at a concentration of 0.7 parts per million.
“That’s our target concentration. That’s what’s recommended by (the) EPA and by the Department of Public Health at this time,” he said.
Blackwell said fluorinating water is required at the state level, and choosing not to add the chemical would put the water authority out of regulation.
The United States has been putting fluoride in drinking water for decades to help prevent cavities and tooth decay. Recently, the benefits and safety of water fluoridation have been questioned by U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.
Florida recently became the second state to ban fluoride in drinking water, after Utah.
“I didn’t know it was so complicated to get us clean water,” Realtor Kay Morgan told the MDJ, following the presentation.
“It was great to hear that they’re keeping ahead of the pace and that we can be confident that there’s going to be water coming out of our taps in the future,” she said.
The cost of water
Blackwell said the thing that hurt the water business the most in the last few years is inflation and increased building costs.
“Our costs to install pipe, our costs to build a water treatment plant, has probably doubled in the last five years or so,” he said.
He also said the authority needs to continue thinking ahead to keep costs low for maintaining and replacing existing infrastructure.
According to Blackwell, operations costs went up by 10.9% per year between 2022 and 2023 and construction costs went up 50% over two years.
Blackwell said prices have now come back down to a 3.5% increase for operations and construction.
“As long as things continue to come back down, inflation wise, you should be fine, and rate payers should continue to have a reasonable rate,” Blackwell told the MDJ.
Blackwell also said the water authority has an ample water supply, enough to last at least through 2055.
This surplus of water means new structures such as data centers will not drive up prices for consumers as long as the water consumption remains reasonable.
“Until we get to a point where supply becomes a concern, in a 15-year outlook period, being able to sell more water increases our efficiency,” he said. “It increases our economies of scale, so that would mean actually lower rates for our customers.”
Original article online at: https://www.mdjonline.com/news/local/cobb-water-authority-manager-talks-fluoride-forever-chemicals-costs/article_6b5eef4d-64e6-42c6-8cca-56c572da9316.html