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The Macon Water Authority is committed to upgrading, improving, or expanding our facilities to provide customers with the best water and wastewater services feasible. The MWA has a long-range Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) that included scheduled capital improvement projects to upgrade facilities, software, treatment processes, operations in the field, and more, to ensure the MWA has sustainable services for decades to come.

Our Latest Capital Improvements

Meter Upgrades

One of the MWA’s largest capital improvement projects is the replacement of an estimated 43,375 residential and non-residential water meters with Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology.
AMI meters will provide more accurate and timely water-use information while improving the efficiency of MWA’s meter-reading and customer service operations. The technology will also help MWA identify unusual water-use patterns and potential leaks sooner, giving customers greater insight into their water consumption and helping support water conservation.
This investment represents an important step in modernizing MWA’s water system and improving the way we serve our customers.

Water Storage & Pump Stations

MWA’s water storage and pumping infrastructure plays an important role in maintaining reliable water service throughout the distribution system.
As part of the Capital Improvement Plan, MWA is evaluating improvements to critical pumping infrastructure at the Amerson Water Treatment Plant. Proposed projects include upgrades to the Raw Water Pump Station and Reservoir Raw Water Pump Station, including pump, valve, electrical and control-system improvements designed to increase reliability and support the long-term needs of the water system.
These projects are part of MWA’s ongoing investment in infrastructure to maintain reliable water service for current customers while preparing the system for future needs.
A construction site featuring a crane, portable toilets, and various equipment. A small building sits among trees, vehicles, and yellow caution tape beneath a partly cloudy sky.

(Photo: Influent pump station at Lower Poplar Water Reclamation Facility)

The Macon Water Authority (MWA) is continually planning for the future of our community’s water, wastewater, stormwater and related infrastructure.

MWA is developing a comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to help identify and prioritize infrastructure needs over the short, medium and long term. The CIP is designed to provide a structured, risk-informed roadmap for planning future capital investments.

How Projects Are Evaluated

Development of the CIP includes site visits and workshops with MWA staff, identification and evaluation of capital projects, cost estimating and implementation planning.

Projects are organized into short-term (0–5 years), mid-term (6–20 years) and long-term (20–50 years) planning horizons to support phased implementation, prioritize funding needs and guide long-range capital investment planning.

Projects are also evaluated using a risk-based methodology that considers the Likelihood of Failure (LoF) and Consequence of Failure (CoF) of critical infrastructure and systems. This process helps MWA prioritize investments and direct resources toward projects that provide the greatest operational and risk-reduction benefits.

A Plan That Evolves

The Capital Improvement Plan is a long-term planning tool. As individual projects move forward, project scopes, priorities, schedules and estimated costs may change based on additional engineering evaluations, infrastructure conditions, available funding and other factors.

Cost estimates developed during the CIP process are planning-level estimates. Additional analysis and detailed engineering may be necessary to determine the final scope, schedule and cost of individual projects before they are implemented.

Planning for Our Infrastructure

The CIP evaluates infrastructure needs throughout MWA’s systems, including:

  • Water treatment and distribution
  • Wastewater collection and treatment
  • Stormwater systems
  • Levee infrastructure

Through this long-term planning process, MWA is working to maintain reliable infrastructure, address aging assets, prioritize critical needs and prepare our systems to serve the community for years to come.

Cast Iron Water Main Replacement Program

As part of its long-term capital planning efforts, the Macon Water Authority is evaluating the development of a multi-year program to replace aging cast iron water mains throughout the water distribution system.

MWA’s water distribution system includes approximately 1,320 miles of water mains, with approximately 745 miles identified as aging cast iron pipe based on available GIS data. Aging cast iron infrastructure can affect system capacity, available fire flow and overall system reliability.

The proposed program would replace prioritized sections of cast iron pipe with ductile iron pipe to improve system hydraulics and reliability. The current planning-level estimate for this long-term replacement program is approximately $1.3 billion.

Because replacing hundreds of miles of aging infrastructure will require a long-term approach, individual areas will be evaluated and prioritized based on factors such as infrastructure condition, system needs and available funding. The project is anticipated to be a multi-year replacement program, with the duration determined as additional analysis of critical areas and costs is completed.

Bond Projects Across Macon-Bibb & CIP Plan Documents

MWA is investing in major water and wastewater infrastructure improvements throughout Macon-Bibb County. The map below provides a snapshot of current bond-funded projects, including project locations, investment amounts and the latest status.

 

 

For More Information on Our Capital Improvement Projects, Call 478-738-6532.