Water and Sewer Repairs Focus of Stan Watson’s Small Business Forum

On Thursday evening, Commissioner Stan Watson welcomed a room full of potential contractors and small business owners who hope to bid on a $1.4 billion water and sewer repair project for DeKalb County. 

The forum took place in the auditorium at the Lou Walker Senior Center on Panola Road.

According to information obtained from the DeKalb County Water and Sewer Department, the “county has identified more than $1.4 billion in critical capital improvement projects that are needed in its water and sewer system over the next five years. The county’s treatment plants, as well as thousands of miles of water and sewer pipes, need significant repairs and upgrades.”

The aging DeKalb County sewer system has caused much concern among county and state officials. In a statement to Crossroads News last July, Susan Salter, manager of the state’s Impaired Waters list for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, said “all 14 miles of the South River that run through DeKalb County are 'impaired' and full of fecal coli form and PCBs."

The Pole Bridge Wastewater Treatment plant, one of the three treatment plants operated by the county, is located on South River which flows eastward through DeKalb County and meets up with several waterways, including the Yellow River in Stone Mountain.  

During the forum, DeKalb County's Chief Procurement Officer Kelvin Walton gave the attendees detailed information on procedures for obtaining a contract with the county. Melvin Everson, director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Development, spoke to the audience about preparing the next generation for Georgia’s workforce.

DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis also attended the meeting and briefly spoke about minority participation and creating opportunities for small businesses.

“Getting people back to work is key to saving people’s homes and having economic recovery,” Ellis said.