Officials propose hookup

Georgia DOT wants to connect Interstate 20 rest areas to Harlem sewer system

Web posted October 29, 1998

By Jason B. Smith
Columbia County Bureau

The Georgia Department of Transportation is interested in hooking up Interstate 20 rest areas to Harlem's sewer system.

The rest areas -- which are just west of the Harlem exit on the interstate -- are undergoing nearly $7 million in renovations. That work should be completed by May or June.

``We've got the foundation laid, and they are in there now doing the plumbing work for the building,'' said DOT Area Engineer Rusty Merritt.

Plans for the $6.8 million project call for building restrooms that can accommodate 30 stalls -- 10 more than the current buildings.

If all goes as planned, DOT will build a sewer line along the Harlem-Appling Highway.

``They will pump from the I-20 rest areas up (U.S. Highway) 221 to a lift station at Harlem High,'' said Harlem Public Works Superintendent Raymond Fulcher.

However, officials are awaiting approval from the city's lawyers and the DOT's lawyers before proceeding with the project.

``I'm sure we are going to get the sewer,'' Mr. Merritt said. ``I just don't know when it is going to be. But it will help tremendously.''

Mr. Fulcher said the rest areas are expected to add about 16,000 gallons of sewage per day to the city's system. However, that's only about 10 percent of the system's capacity -- if a series of 1 cent sales tax projects are approved by the state's Environmental Protection Division.

``We are on the drawing board and getting engineering studies right now,'' he said. ``I don't see any problems at all there really.''

Jason B. Smith covers government for The Augusta Chronicle's Columbia County Bureau. He can be reached at 868-1222, Ext. 115, or ccchron@augustachronicle.com.