Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - Officials are preparing to issue up to $145 million in bonds to pay for some major water and sewer upgrades in Gwinnett.

The county's Water and Sewerage Authority approved a resolution to allow repayment of some money already spent on the projects, including the long-awaited pipeline to take reuse water into Lake Sidney Lanier.

Finance Director Lisa Johnsa said the resolution approved Monday would not allow the county to recapture all of the money spent on the projects, but officials had planned for bonds to only pay for a portion of the projects anyway. The actual bond issuance will be considered within the next couple of months.

According to Deputy Water Resources Director Ron Peters, water and sewer rates are not expected to go up to cover the revenue bonds.

He said the money will be split between:

n a $250 million project to rehab and expand the Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility in Lilburn.

n the reuse pipeline, which will allow treated wastewater from the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center in Buford to be released into the lake. That project costs more than $60 million.

n a project to rehabilitate the Crooked Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Norcross. Information on the price of the project, which is still in the design phase, was not available Monday.