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$2M loan to help city work on drainage
Billy Edwards
Billy Edwards - photo by Courier file photo
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue approved a $2,583,965 million loan for Hinesville this week to help keep local water sources in good shape.
The loan was one of 26 environmental infrustructure loans, totaling $43.1 million, he approved across the state. According to Perdue, 23 of the projects were either partially or completely funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
In early June, the city applied for a $4.7 million loan with the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority under its clean water state revolving loan fund. The 20-year loan came with a 3 percent interest rate.
According to City Manager Billy Edwards, the loan is for the Peacock Creek Nonpoint Source Project, which includes four smaller components all ensuring proper handling of stormwater run-off and drainage.
The project is to reduce the amount of pollutants reaching the Peacock Creek watershed basin.
Edwards said two components of the projects, the North Maple Street drainage project and the justice center drainage and land improvement project, were designed mainly to provide piping to those areas to prevent damage to the surrounding landscape.
“It’s an open ditch right now and we’ll pipe it to stop erosion,” Edwards said.
Money from the funds also will go toward work on two retention ponds, including converting Olvey Pond into a sedimentation basin to help redirect storm flow through the pond. As part of this project, there also will be an underground piping system installed at the Bay Tree Canal.
“It’s a storm-water quality issue,” Edwards said. “It slows the run-off and provides an opportunity for settling.”
The other retention pond affected is the Bryant Commons Pond, which will be expanded to hold more sediment and will have its canals re-graded to prevent erosion and ensure proper drainage.
After reviewing the proposed projects, the Department of Natural Resources agreed the projects would benefit the area’s environment.
“These projects are in areas identified as critical and will have a direct, positive effect once completed,” the environmental report stated.
The report also determined that the construction of the projects will not harm the surrounding environment.
“No project activity is anticipated to result in adverse environmental impacts that cannot be easily mitigated with minimal extra expense or delay in project implementation,” the report said.
Officials have not yet confirm where the other half of the money is going to come from or if they will opt to scale down the project to fit the budget.
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