Growing Community Meets Georgia Coastal Initiative with Reuse Water System

The City of Rincon is a growing community located in Effingham County, Georgia. The city had a 0.5 mgd overland flow waste water treatment facility that was not meeting the NPDES permit limits. From 2000-2002 master planning and construction plans were completed and approved for an upgrade to meet the permit limits. During this time, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Branch (GA EPD) was completing a study on salt water intrusion along the Georgia Coast, to minimize the use of the upper Floridan Aquifer, and investigate alternative water sources. GA EPD was also looking at reducing total maximum daily loadings (TMDL) from direct discharges into the Savannah River Basin. These constraints were considered during the master planning and design to complete the expansion of a 1.0 mgd water pollution control plant (WPCP) capable of meeting urban water reuse guidelines. The effluent from the WPCP is currently being provided as an alternate water source to an adjacent golf course for irrigation.