News

Commissioners create Etowah sewer board

County Attorney Russell Burrell and county commissioners discuss forming an advisory board of the Etowah Community Sewer System.

By Amy McCraw, Published: September 4, 2024

County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday evening to form an advisory board for the Etowah Community Sewer System.

The board will operate similar to the Cane Creek Water & Sewer Advisory Committee and will include five members plus a non-voting county commissioner.
Commissioners said during their regular monthly meeting that they will decide later which commissioner will serve on the board.
The vote came after a presentation on the Etowah sewer system by the county’s staff.
The county is evaluating the capacity of the system and considering its budget.
While no rate increases are likely soon, a rate increase might be needed in the future, according to staff.
Commissioner Bill Lapsley said he wanted to stress that the board will operate in an advisory role before he made a motion to create the board.
Commissioners voted in July to buy the Etowah Sewer Co., meaning it will take control of decisions on what users can connect to the treatment plant and as a result how much growth the community will see.
Established in 1988, the system has 400 customers and around 20 miles of collection lines. Originally, the main customers were Etowah Valley Golf & Resort and the Etowah Shopping Center.
"It was the main catalyst for the growth of the Etowah community," Lapsley, a retired civil engineer who described himself as "the closest to an oracle on this topic," said in July.
The purchase of the sewer company will give the Board of Commissioners the authority to block a vigorously opposed high-density development at Etowah Valley Golf & Resort.