Fulton County adopts North Fulton water distribution master plan, authorizes related projects and valve program

Fulton County on March 5 adopted a North Fulton Water Distribution Master Plan that lays out 46 capital projects to meet projected growth and drought-era peaks and authorized related work to locate and exercise valves and hydrants across the system.

The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the plan after a presentation from county engineering staff. The plan covers the county-operated water distribution system in North Fulton — serving roughly 285,000 people with about 80,000 connections — and sets phased capital work through a 2050 planning horizon. Commissioners also approved a $109,000 intergovernmental agreement with the city of Johns Creek to adjust a water valve, relocate a fire hydrant and modify a sanitary sewer manhole.

The master plan matters because the county’s average treated demand and recent peak usage showed stress points: staff reported an average-day demand near 27 million gallons per day in 2024 with a plant peak last year approaching 47 million gallons. The plan identifies transmission main projects, distribution main connections, storage and pump upgrades intended to maintain pressure, support firefighting flows and reduce service interruptions as population and demand increase.

Anna Skipper, a professional engineer on the project team, summarized system statistics during the presentation: roughly 1,200 miles of distribution pipe, about 16.7 million gallons of storage in distribution tanks and another 11.8 million gallons at the treatment plant. The consulting team modeled both average and max-day conditions and used two peaking factors to phase projects: a typical max-day factor (1.5× average) for many distribution projects and a higher factor (1.75× average) for transmission mains to account for drought and high-demand years.

Skipper said the plan produced 46 unique projects: six transmission main projects, 34 distribution main projects and six storage/capacity projects. Phasing is tied to projected demand; the overall 2025 estimated construction cost for the package is approximately $278 million (2025 dollars). The plan calls for early “low-hanging-fruit” connections between existing mains to boost pressure quickly, targeted storage increases (roughly 4 million additional gallons at identified tank sites) and new or upgraded booster pumping where gravity flows will not be sufficient.

Public works staff also briefed the board on a valve and hydrant assessment and exercising program. County interim deputy director Adriana Busta Ellis said the program has exercised about 70% of the county’s roughly 25,700 valves since it began seven years ago and has increased initial operability from about 51% to roughly 86%. The FY2025 budget includes an enhancement to add $300,000 to the program this year for a total of $900,000; staff said the goal is to complete the remaining valve and hydrant work over a three-year period and then transition to an in-house exercising program.

Commissioners emphasized implementation and customer service. The county manager and several commissioners noted the need to follow the plan with consistent investment, strong operations and improved customer-facing billing and communications.

Next steps: staff will post the master plan to the county website and return with a rate study that incorporates North Fulton distribution projects and earlier wastewater/capacity work for South Fulton. The board separately approved the Johns Creek intergovernmental agreement, which county staff said will be paid from existing project funds and is intended to preserve operations while larger transmission and distribution projects proceed.

Votes and procedural notes. The motion to adopt the North Fulton Water Distribution Master Plan was made by Commissioner Khadija Abdul Rahman and seconded by Commissioner Bridget Thorne; the motion passed unanimously (6-0). The intergovernmental agreement with Johns Creek (estimated $109,000) was approved unanimously. Earlier on the agenda the board also approved a cooperative purchasing award for sewer vacuum/hydro-excavation equipment and supplies in the amount of $313,255.

Staff contacts and timeline. Public works staff said transmission main projects will be coordinated with transportation projects when feasible but may be constructed standalone where required to meet phase deadlines. A county rate study incorporating the recommended capital improvements is expected to be presented to the board in the coming months.