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| Etowah Indian Statues |
Etowah Water Bank LLC, established its name in honor of the Etowah Indians who originally inhabited northwest Georgia, sustained themselves off the clear mountain water streams, and built their famous burial mounds in the region. The purpose of the Etowah Water Bank is to store seasonally available drinking water underground, forming a Water Bank. The stored water will be recovered to meet water supply needs during droughts and also to help maintain streamflows.
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| Etowah Indian Mound |
Etowah Water Bank underground water storage will supplement existing and any new surface reservoir storage, enhancing the water supply reliability and sustainability of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area while also protecting the water supply interests of northwest Georgia and downstream water users in Georgia, Alabama and Florida.
- Etowah Water Bank effectively integrates water sources providing a reliable, sustainable water supply for all water users while protecting aquatic ecosystems.
- Existing groundwater resources in this area will be preserved and protected. Etowah Water Bank will not mine water or deplete existing water supplies in the region. A key element of the Etowah Water Bank storage strategy is that recovered cumulative volume in the Etowah Water Bank will not be allowed to exceed recharge cumulative volume at any time. Withdrawals can never be greater than deposits.
- Only water meeting drinking quality standards will be stored within Etowah Water Bank wells.
- Following severe droughts groundwater levels will be quickly restored through recharge of treated drinking water into the Etowah Water Bank wells.
- The proposed storage capacity of Etowah Water Bank is up to about 1.5 million acre feet (AF), equalling the storage capacity of Lake Lanier, with facilities capable of recharge at daily rates up to about 125 million gallons per day (MGD) (140,000 acre feet per year, AFY) during wet weather and other times when water supply and treatment capacity exceeds water demand. Proposed recovery rates include up to 250 MGD (280,000 AFY) for durations of up to six months during droughts.
- Etowah Water Bank provides a viable, cost-effective subsurface water storage option, supplementing other regional water sources utilizing Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR) technology. This technology for storing water underground is proven and cost-effective. Three recent independent investigations in Florida, Texas and Oregon have indicated average ASR unit capital costs of $1.14 per gallon per day of recovery capacity. Other supplemental water supply alternatives are typically more than $3.00 per gallon per day of capacity.
- Communities and associated water utilities are encouraged to 'bank' treated drinking water with Etowah Water Bank when demand is low and when water is naturally plentiful. Those who have stored water when it is available may then withdraw water from the bank to use locally when it is needed. Participation in Etowah Water Bank is also extended to other water utilities in west and northwest Georgia, the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, and Alabama. These other utilities would be able to recover the water stored in the Etowah Water Bank during drought periods, up to the volume previously stored for regional drought storage purposes.
- EWB will be a Public Private Partnership, constructing wellfield and pipeline conveyance facilities and building the target storage volume underground. After fifteen years, participating water utilities will have the option to acquire the Etowah Water Bank.
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