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Barnesville extends sewer moratorium as engineers, grant funding move inventory and repairs forward
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Summary
Facing a century‑old collection system with continuing overflows and failing lines, Barnesville’s council extended a moratorium on new sewer connections and approved a GEFA loan‑forgiveness grant to inventory lead/copper service lines as engineers plan phased repairs.
Barnesville’s City Council voted this year to limit new sewer connections while engineers and state programs help map and repair a deteriorating sewer collection system.
Council first imposed a six‑month moratorium on May 1, 2023, after staff and councilmembers described recurring overflows and infrastructure failures across the city. City Manager Timothy T. Turner told the council the engineers asked for a pause on new hookups while they assess system needs; Council adopted Resolution R2023‑0009 imposing the moratorium. The council later extended that moratorium through May 2024 (Resolution R2023‑0011), approving the extension on Nov. 6 by a 4–1 vote but allowing the restriction to be lifted sooner if engineers determine the system is sufficiently rehabilitated.
Separately, Council accepted a GEFA loan‑forgiveness grant and contracted with engineering consultant ESG to perform a federally required inventory of water service lines after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tightened lead and copper reporting requirements. City Manager Turner and ESG’s project manager, Trey Gavin, told Council the inventory is mandatory and must be complete by Oct. 16, 2024; the grant (presented to Council as Resolution R2023‑0012) covers inventory tasks that would otherwise pull staff from operations. Chief Finance Officer Tammy York said the City has about 4,600 water customers and that, to date, the contractor and city staff together had reduced about 2,400 addresses from the inventory list, leaving roughly 2,200 to be verified.
Councilmembers repeatedly emphasized the scale and cost of repairing sanitary infrastructure. In November a figure of about $25 million was cited as an order‑of‑magnitude estimate to fully replace major trunk lines; Councilmembers said they expect repairs to proceed in phases and that they will seek outside funding and state cooperation where possible. City staff said engineers will present prioritized rehabilitation plans in early 2024 to guide capital budgeting and grant applications.
The council’s decisions make clear the city will not approve new sewer hookups while the system remains under active evaluation and repair; staff said they will inform applicants and post updates on the city website and utility bills.
The council’s next procedural step is a planned engineer briefing in the first quarter of 2024 and follow‑up action on prioritized capital work and funding strategies.