![]() And in the case of Newton County, a significant amount of teamwork was also involved. It takes considerable effort to earn this designation. The state’s WaterFirst Communities have a demonstrated track record of implementing strategic plans that support long-term excellence in water resource management. ![]() GEFA provides loans for water, wastewater, and solid waste infrastructure manages energy efficiency and renewable energy programs administers land conservation loans and manages and monitors state-owned fuel storage tanks. Since 2018, the program has been run by the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), which is a state agency that manages programs that conserve and improve Georgia’s energy, land, and water resources. While Gwinnett County is one of the largest WaterFirst Communities, even cities as small as Thunderbolt have been able to complete the process for qualification as a WaterFirst Community. Thirty-seven percent of those communities have earned the designation through partnerships. Since its inception in 2003, more than 50 communities (including cities, counties, and water/sewer authorities) have achieved the designation by modeling for their citizens, as well as other utilities, what it means to be good stewards of water. In becoming a WaterFirst Community, the Water Authority and these municipalities demonstrated commitment to responsible water stewardship for environmental and economic benefits. In 2012, the Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority along with the municipalities of Covington, Mansfield, Newborn, Oxford, Porterdale, and Newton County all came together and earned a multi-jurisdictional WaterFirst designation through the state. This series of three posts will highlight how a group of communities in Georgia partnered to receive a joint designation to the prestigious WaterFirst Program. For years, many water systems have utilized partnerships by collaborating with other nearby utilities to address challenges or take advantage of opportunities. Water utilities play an important role in a community by providing an essential service.
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