City of Helen, Georgia

The City of Helen’s water system included three operating wells, two off-line wells and three water storage tanks with a combined total of .68 million gallons (MG).  Due to steady increases in demand, the City was purchasing 59% of the water supply from an outside source.  Also of concern was the fact that the unaccounted-for water from the water distribution system averaged 35%, mainly due to antiquated faulty meters.  The City desired to update these meters to reflect true water use, more accurately collect water revenues from its customers, and reduce dependency on outside water supplies.  EMI proposed that the City of Helen install filtration equipment at the two inactive wells, replace outdated water meters and install telemetry devices to ensure consistent quantities of water and reduce dependency outside water sources.