The cities of Summerville and Ringgold are among 10 Georgia communities receiving grant funding from the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in public drinking water systems.
Summerville was awarded $4.5 million through the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Program to install PFAS remediation technology and upgrade the city’s drinking water plant. Ringgold received $2.58 million through the same program to conduct a pilot study, install PFAS remediation technology at its drinking water plant, and construct a new well.
In total, GEFA awarded $32,230,000 in grant funding to communities across Georgia through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act to reduce exposure to harmful contaminants and improve water and wastewater systems.
Other northwest Georgia recipients include Dalton Utilities, which received $3,596,000 through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund for a pilot study on PFAS removal at its wastewater treatment plant, and the Chatsworth Water Works Commission, which was awarded $6,837,000 through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to support pilot testing and installation of PFAS remediation technology. Chatsworth Water Works had previously received additional funding for the same project in December 2023.
Additional grant recipients include the City of Gray, Tennille, White, Harris County, the Talbot County Board of Commissioners, and Augusta-Richmond County.
State officials say the funding will help communities modernize water infrastructure, protect public health, and ensure safe and reliable drinking water for residents.