The city of Suwanee and Gwinnett County have entered into an agreement that will turn over the city’s water needs to the county. Suwanee’s 70-year-old water system will be transferred to the Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources effective Dec. 1, 2021.
Suwanee cites an aging system in need of costly repairs, little growth or opportunity to expand and that the system is just too small to be cost effective to run as the reasons why the city has decided to turn to Gwinnett County for water needs.
Gwinnett County has invested close to $1 billion over the past two decades to expand and improve its water system.
As part of the agreement with Gwinnett County, the county is set to spend $500,000 for upgrades for the city, including replacing pipes, adding fire hydrants and removing existing wells and the water tower from the system. However, at this time, there are no immediate plans to remove the iconic water tower.
The city expects the transition to be a smooth one for its water customers and they will automatically be transferred to Gwinnett County effective Dec. 1. No water outages are anticipated during the transition as Suwanee’s water system is already connected to Gwinnett’s system.
Residents should not see much of a difference in the amount of their water bills as Suwanee and Gwinnett County use similar water rate structures. Suwanee water customers who put down a deposit for their service will be given refunds. Gwinnett County said they will not be charging any fees or deposits to transition Suwanee’s customers.
“The Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources offers several ways to make payments, including by mail, phone and online, where they also offer automatic and paperless billing,” the city of Suwanee said in a statement. “The city will also continue to accept payments from walk-in customers at City Hall.”
Suwanee customers currently receive their water from wells or ground water while Gwinnett’s water is surface water that comes from Lake Lanier. Customers may notice a slight difference in the taste of the water, but chances are customers won’t notice as Suwanee has had the county’s water supplying their customers before.
