Update from Mary Mellien via Walton County about Jack's Creek proposal
Dear Concerned Citizens,
I hold everyone's email addresses with the greatest of reserve and use them only to advise you of an up coming educational program being offered by OCRG or an issue I find to be of utmost importance to us all. It is this reason that I am forwarding to all of you the following email I received. Until I read the following argument, I felt the only argument for not being in favor of the Hard Labor Creek reservoir was the desire to contain growth. Though this is an argument many of us make it is an argument that has proven futile. The following letter from Mr. Tal Thompson a citizen of Walton County is an argument we all need to be aware of. I will be following this email with a second email from Mr. Thompson containing a letter from Mr Charles Jones the former CEO of Oconee County's consulting firm JJ&G. Please take the time to read these emails and come to the Commission Meeting this Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm in the Court House.
Mary Mellein
president Oconee Citizen for Responsible Growth
From: Tal Thompson
Date: 2007/02/17 Sat PM 01:09:44 EST
To: Melvin Davis, Jim Luke ,
dnorris@oconee.ga.us, chorton@oconee.ga.us,
margarethale@oconee.ga.us
CC: Kevin Farrell,
Mary Dills,
Jeff May,
Len Walker,
Bob Smith,
Bill Cowsert,
John Douglas
Subject: Oconee's Case for Jacks Creek
To: Oconee County Commissioners - Melvin Davis, Jim Luke, Don Norris,
Chuck Horton, Margaret Hale
Mr. Melvin Davis and fellow Commissioners,
Jacks Creek full phase build out was estimated at $85 million for a
1,200 acre reservoir capable of 31.9 MGD (10 MGD treated) including
river diversion. According to Schnabel Engineering, Jacks Creek
could even have a safe yield capacity of over 46MGD if expanded to
the size of Hard Labor using the same 100 foot tall dam. Since Jacks
Creek is the largest drainage basin (35sq mi.) in both Walton and
Oconee County and it is within one mile of the Appalachee River,
there is plenty of water for the future. But let's be realistic and
fiscally responsible, currently Walton and Oconee's twenty year needs
should be based on 5-10 MGD additional yield, not 30-40's. So, for
now, let's look at the low cost Phase 1 scenario at Jacks Creek.
Simple interpolations from the Hofstatder-Schnabel study on Jacks
Creek performed for the City of Monroe show that the Phase 1 cost
would be $34 million to produce 8MGD of treated water from a 285 acre
pool without any needed river diversion cost. This pool would only
require 2.8 miles of stream bank mitigation and 39 acres of wet land
mitigation - which could easily be obtained from land directly
surrounding the project. Furthermore, no infrastructure improvements
would have to be rebuilt, for this 4,500 acre property contains no
roads, bridges, power lines, nor homes and families to displace.
Hard Labor has over $15million allocated just in roadway
modifications and power line relocation costs to make room for the
proposed (EPD un-permitted) massive lake project.
As you know, official land cost for the Jacks Creek project, is less
than $5,000/acre - elsewhere - land is 5X that. When considering
future full build out at over 1200 acres for long term water needs,
Jacks Creek offers a savings of over $45 million, just in land cost.
Factor in the 18 mile river diversion to Hard labor for $40 million
and the $15 million for roads and powerlines, that's $100 million
difference.
Oconee could own 100% of the Jacks Creek project directly adjacent to
your eastern border on the Appalachee River and do a total build-out
for $85 million to obtain a minimum of 24MGD even if Walton decides
to move forward on Hard Labor. As a cost sharing measure available,
the City of Monroe has given Oconee the first option to build the
project and has offered to participate as a full partner - costing
each party only $42.5 million - well below the cost of other options
and triple the amount of treated water available only one mile from
the Oconee county line.
Since Jacks Creek currently has a 13.3 MGD on-stream yield, only
11MGD would be needed from the Appalachian River - only a mile away.
Kevin Farrell (EPD Water Permitting) explains that Hard Labor's
application for all the available pumping rights (60MGD) from the
Appalachee River is subject to ?a clearly justified need for
permitted amounts - an agreed upon population in an agreed upon
service area at an agreed upon future year." Alone and self driven
Oconee, and/or through a Monroe partnership can easily show the
water ?needs justification? to gain access to that water.
Attached is the Oconee staff Presentation updated with the more
accurate Phase I cost of Jacks Creek. Please allow the citizens to
see the true cost savings to build the Jacks Creek project. At
least, please slow down and give more thought into your decisions
when faced with such a low cost alternative.
Best regards,
Tal Thompson
Walton County Citizen
I hold everyone's email addresses with the greatest of reserve and use them only to advise you of an up coming educational program being offered by OCRG or an issue I find to be of utmost importance to us all. It is this reason that I am forwarding to all of you the following email I received. Until I read the following argument, I felt the only argument for not being in favor of the Hard Labor Creek reservoir was the desire to contain growth. Though this is an argument many of us make it is an argument that has proven futile. The following letter from Mr. Tal Thompson a citizen of Walton County is an argument we all need to be aware of. I will be following this email with a second email from Mr. Thompson containing a letter from Mr Charles Jones the former CEO of Oconee County's consulting firm JJ&G. Please take the time to read these emails and come to the Commission Meeting this Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm in the Court House.
Mary Mellein
president Oconee Citizen for Responsible Growth
From: Tal Thompson
Date: 2007/02/17 Sat PM 01:09:44 EST
To: Melvin Davis
dnorris@oconee.ga.us, chorton@oconee.ga.us,
margarethale@oconee.ga.us
CC: Kevin Farrell
Mary Dills
Jeff May
Len Walker
Bob Smith
Bill Cowsert
John Douglas
Subject: Oconee's Case for Jacks Creek
To: Oconee County Commissioners - Melvin Davis, Jim Luke, Don Norris,
Chuck Horton, Margaret Hale
Mr. Melvin Davis and fellow Commissioners,
Jacks Creek full phase build out was estimated at $85 million for a
1,200 acre reservoir capable of 31.9 MGD (10 MGD treated) including
river diversion. According to Schnabel Engineering, Jacks Creek
could even have a safe yield capacity of over 46MGD if expanded to
the size of Hard Labor using the same 100 foot tall dam. Since Jacks
Creek is the largest drainage basin (35sq mi.) in both Walton and
Oconee County and it is within one mile of the Appalachee River,
there is plenty of water for the future. But let's be realistic and
fiscally responsible, currently Walton and Oconee's twenty year needs
should be based on 5-10 MGD additional yield, not 30-40's. So, for
now, let's look at the low cost Phase 1 scenario at Jacks Creek.
Simple interpolations from the Hofstatder-Schnabel study on Jacks
Creek performed for the City of Monroe show that the Phase 1 cost
would be $34 million to produce 8MGD of treated water from a 285 acre
pool without any needed river diversion cost. This pool would only
require 2.8 miles of stream bank mitigation and 39 acres of wet land
mitigation - which could easily be obtained from land directly
surrounding the project. Furthermore, no infrastructure improvements
would have to be rebuilt, for this 4,500 acre property contains no
roads, bridges, power lines, nor homes and families to displace.
Hard Labor has over $15million allocated just in roadway
modifications and power line relocation costs to make room for the
proposed (EPD un-permitted) massive lake project.
As you know, official land cost for the Jacks Creek project, is less
than $5,000/acre - elsewhere - land is 5X that. When considering
future full build out at over 1200 acres for long term water needs,
Jacks Creek offers a savings of over $45 million, just in land cost.
Factor in the 18 mile river diversion to Hard labor for $40 million
and the $15 million for roads and powerlines, that's $100 million
difference.
Oconee could own 100% of the Jacks Creek project directly adjacent to
your eastern border on the Appalachee River and do a total build-out
for $85 million to obtain a minimum of 24MGD even if Walton decides
to move forward on Hard Labor. As a cost sharing measure available,
the City of Monroe has given Oconee the first option to build the
project and has offered to participate as a full partner - costing
each party only $42.5 million - well below the cost of other options
and triple the amount of treated water available only one mile from
the Oconee county line.
Since Jacks Creek currently has a 13.3 MGD on-stream yield, only
11MGD would be needed from the Appalachian River - only a mile away.
Kevin Farrell (EPD Water Permitting) explains that Hard Labor's
application for all the available pumping rights (60MGD) from the
Appalachee River is subject to ?a clearly justified need for
permitted amounts - an agreed upon population in an agreed upon
service area at an agreed upon future year." Alone and self driven
Oconee, and/or through a Monroe partnership can easily show the
water ?needs justification? to gain access to that water.
Attached is the Oconee staff Presentation updated with the more
accurate Phase I cost of Jacks Creek. Please allow the citizens to
see the true cost savings to build the Jacks Creek project. At
least, please slow down and give more thought into your decisions
when faced with such a low cost alternative.
Best regards,
Tal Thompson
Walton County Citizen
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