Inside a building meant for treating waste, the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority celebrated the possibility of new things Friday.

Members of the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority gathered to mark the opening of a new wastewater treatment plant and the possibilities it creates for future development and water conservation.

"I have to tell you that today is a dream come true for those of us on the board," Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority Chairman Lonice Barrett said.

Members of the board, Lake Lanier Islands Management, the Army Corps of Engineers and other county and state officials gathered inside the plant to celebrate the opening of the $15 million facility they say will allow for future development and the reuse of gray water on the resort’s landscapes.

"This plant allows us to have an entire reuse capacity," said Bill Donohue, executive director of the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority. "... Very soon, the entire islands will be of the ability to capitalize on reuse water to continue the authority’s commitment and our partners’ commitment to water conservation and really utilizing the abilities of this plant."

The new plant, built by Choate Construction, was funded through loans from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission, said Barrett.

It has the capacity to treat 500,000 gallons of wastewater per day, said Pedro Rossello, president of Engineering Strategies, Inc., which designed the new plant.

And one day, as Lake Lanier Islands expands with new restaurants and other hotels, some portions of the plant can be expanded to treat up to 1 million gallons of wastewater per day, Rossello said.

But currently, the needs of the resort only call for treating about 100,000 to 125,000 gallons of wastewater. Lake Lanier Islands has a permit to discharge only about 350,000 gallons of treated wastewater into Lake Lanier each day, Rossello said.