Committee of the Whole — Minutes

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6:00 PM 
 
City of Smyrna 
Mayor and Council Meeting 
2800 King Street SE 
Human Resources Training Room 
 
Page 3 of 9 
 
• CCMWA is the largest wholesale provider of drinking water in the state with 
average daily demand of 76.5 MGD in 2025. 
• CCMWA receives no direct tax revenue. The only operational revenue CCMWA 
receives is from water sales and laboratory services.  
 
Water Quality 
Water quality is of utmost importance -   
• We know taste and odor issues, PFAS, lead, copper, and emerging contaminants 
are of particular concern to those we serve.  
• In September 2025, levels of the taste- and odor-causing compound Methyl-
Isoborneol (MIB), which is produced by certain types of algae, increased 
dramatically in the Chattahoochee River, exceeding 135 parts per trillion (ppt), 
more than 700% above the previous record high.  
o MIB does not pose a health threat, but it does cause unpleasant taste and 
odor at levels as low as 10 ppt.  
o Currently, the Authority’s Quarles WTP can remove MIB at concentrations 
up to ~45 ppt using powdered activated carbon. 
o The Authority is conducting a study of advanced treatment options in 2026 
to determine the best path forward for addressing future increases in MIB 
levels.  
• In 2025, the Authority continued proactively testing for PFAS.  
o Source water samples and finished water samples taken from the 
Authority’s drinking water treatment plants were all below United States 
Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant levels.  
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• In January 2024, after six years of corrosion-control optimization study, the 
Authority began using orthophosphate in its drinking water for corrosion control.  
o Testing throughout 2024 and 2025 has found that lead and copper leaching 
from consumer on-premises plumbing remains well below regulatory limits.  
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• The Authority is acutely aware of public concern related to fluoridation of drinking 
water.  
o Currently, Georgia state law and EPA guidelines require the Authority to 
add fluoride to the water supply (.70 ppm) to enhance public health, 
specifically for preventing tooth decay. 
    
• Plastics have become pervasive in modern life, raising concerns about their 
potential to harm humans and the environment.  
• Microplastics are generally recognized as plastic particles ranging in size from 5 
millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser) to 1 nanometer. For comparison, a 
strand of human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide. 
o Earlier this year, the Authority proactively tested for microplastics in its 
finished drinking water from both water treatment plants. No microplastics 
were found.  
• The Authority is required by the Safe Drinking Water Act to sample for 
radionuclides in drinking water sourced from the Chattahoochee River every 6 
years and from Allatoona Lake every 9 years.  
o In 2025, samples were taken from drinking water sourced from the 
Chattahoochee River as required but were lost in shipment by FedEx to the 
laboratory in Pennsylvania, resulting in a “sampling violation”. 
o Earlier this year, the Authority resampled drinking water sourced from the 
Chattahoochee River. Levels of radionuclides were well below maximum 
contaminant levels.