Augusta plans $25M sewer upgrade to spur industrial development, investment

The Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA) is planning a $25 million project to improve sewer systems and infrastructure for additional industrial redevelopment initiatives in the region.

The project, funded through a voter-approved measure, seeks to build a pump station, a gravity sewer line and a 24-inch sewer trunk main. The extension, running from the Little Spirit Creek Basin to North McCombs Road in south Augusta, would serve the 1,150-acre McCombs Road Megasite, one of only two remaining mega sites in Georgia.

SPLOST 9 is the ninth round of the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, a voter-approved, optional 1% countywide sales tax in Georgia that can fund only specified capital projects for a limited period, typically five to six years. The current recommended SPLOST 9 project package totals about $426 million in proposed spending to be collected over an estimated multiyear term if voters approve it. The AEDA request at just under 5.87% of the total is expected to be part of the list headed to the November ballot.

Proponents of the sewer extension say Augusta has missed out on large industrial investments because of limited sewer capacity in the area, and this investment would be key to recapturing this lost revenue and more. They estimate the $25 million project could help attract more than 1,000 high-paying manufacturing jobs, generate about $579 million in annual economic output, add $82 million in new tax revenue, support up to 2,800 new homes on 1,120 acres and produce $41 million in property tax revenue over 25 years. Initial projections also include about $25 million in new retail spending that would yield $1.1 million in sales tax over 25 years, according to authority officials.

AEDA officials say expanding the sewer line could extend benefits into Burke County and help support a future Norfolk Southern rail connection, boosting regional cooperation and long-term growth.

In preparing for the November ballot, AEDA has submitted a preliminary engineering report outlining the route, capacity needs and steps to completion. The authority says the project could be shovel-ready and built in about 12 months if all necessary funding is awarded.

Photo by Magda Ehlers from Pexels