FLOWERY BRANCH — Flowery Branch has cleared a key hurdle toward reaching its eventual goal to double capacity at its sewer treatment plant.

The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has concluded that using spray fields in expanded sewer operations will "create an economic hardship" for the city and that "there are sound, technical reasons for expanding the discharge into Lake Lanier."

The city, which plans to expand the sewer plant to 2.05 million gallons per day from 1 million gallons, has opened up a public comment period on the EPD’s conclusion. The period ends Jan. 16.

Currently, the city can use its 40-acre spray fields, which are off Thurmon Tanner Parkway, for up to 510,000 gallons per day. As part of its plans, the city would add about 90,000 gallons per day for spray fields and end up discharging as much as 1.45 million gallons to the lake.

For City Manager Bill Andrew and other city leaders, the EPD conclusion moves along an issue that has been simmering for some time.

"When I was hired in March 2006, it was made plain to me that one of the concerns of the city was that we were beginning to bump up against sort of a maximum ceiling on our (sewer) capacity that we could allocate to new development," he said.

Andrew said he hopes to have a permit to build a plant addition by summer or early fall.

"Whether or not we exercise that permit is obviously another issue," he said.

The city’s plans hinge largely on a March 17 public vote on whether to extend Hall County’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which is ending this year.

Flowery Branch hopes to capture $2.5 million of that revenue, with $1.3 million going toward a sewer lift station at the Cinnamon Cove condominium complex at 6500 Gaines Ferry Road and a force main line.

The lift station would replace a privately run sewer plant now serving the 1970s-era complex.

Andrew sees the move as also beneficial to Cinnamon Cove, as the complex faces the possibility of expensive upgrades to the plant, which sits in a recessed area just past the complex and off Gaines Ferry.

The complex, which sits about three miles outside the city, would receive sewer services through the city and the "looming headache (of plant upgrades) would be off their back," he said.

Pending the passage of the tax or "us finding some other way to finance the project, we would have until June 15 to basically exercise our option and take over the (Cinnamon Cove) system and they would basically be a customer," Andrew said.

"Initially, we would simply maintain their current status — maintain the plant and take over the operation."

Andrew provided a phone number for the condominium association president, but that person couldn’t be reached for comment.

Ultimately, a plant could cost the city $10 million to $14 million, with financing likely to come from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. The move likely would affect future sewer rates.

City officials believe the extra capacity will be needed as the area continues to grow. Some development is taking place, particularly east of Interstate 985, even in the economic slowdown.

"Currently, we have enough sewer to supply all of our customers and to supply all the customers who have bought into the plant," Andrew said.

Ironically, the slumping economy has given the city time to develop future sewer capacity that would be used to spur further development.

"We’ve bought a few years ... in this time frame of having this project done," Andrew said.

Mayor Diane Hirling is eager to see the dream of a bigger sewer plant realized.

"It was our goal when we all took office to see that plant expanded," she said.

Hirling said the March 17 vote is key to pushing the project along.

"All we can do is hope and pray it’s going to pass," she said.

Jackie Joseph, president of Lake Lanier Association, an organization that seeks to protect the lake, said she has no problem with the plant expansion as long as the city’s permit "would be protective of the lake."

In talks about a year and a half ago, "we had the (city’s) assurance that would be the case," she said.

A public notice on the EPD’s finding says the city "will meet the stringent effluent limits that have been established" by the EPD.