For the Coweta County Water & Sewerage Authority, securing a long-term water supply meant looking beyond its existing sources.

The result is a $65 million project that establishes a new raw water intake on the Chattahoochee River, along with the infrastructure needed to bring that water into the authority's existing system.

The Chattahoochee River Raw Water Pump Station, located in Newnan, Georgia, is one of WaterWorld's 2026 Top Projects.

The project provides a 27-million-gallon-per-day raw water supply and includes 11 miles of new 36-inch raw water transmission line connecting the pump station to CCWSA's existing system.

It also marks a historic milestone for the area: the first new permitted water intake on this reach of the Chattahoochee River in more than 100 years.

Building another source for a growing region

CCWSA pursued the project as a way to secure a reliable, long-term water source while strengthening regional water supply resiliency.

The authority was facing population growth and increasing water demands and sought to diversify its water portfolio and reduce dependence on existing reservoir supplies.

The new source is designed to support more than 30,000 customers while providing system redundancy and additional capacity for future growth.

But establishing a new intake on the river required much more than constructing a pump station.

More than a century of permitting history

The project team had to navigate a lengthy permitting process involving multiple regulatory agencies.

Historical water quality concerns presented another challenge. The project required the team to demonstrate that those concerns could be addressed through modern treatment and infrastructure planning.

Environmental investigations were a significant part of the process, as were evaluations of the river intake's operation under varying hydraulic conditions.

The team also had to account for environmental resources while developing an intake capable of providing reliable long-term operation.

A difficult site

The pump station site presented its own set of challenges.

Floodplain and geological constraints required careful evaluation during planning and design. Those conditions had to be considered alongside the technical requirements for a new river intake and the 11-mile raw water transmission connection.

The project team used extensive coordination and environmental investigations to work through the site and regulatory constraints.

The result is a new piece of regional water infrastructure that connects the river source to CCWSA's existing system while providing additional supply flexibility.

Planning for long-term resiliency

The Chattahoochee River Raw Water Pump Station is ultimately a project about diversification.

Rather than relying on a single existing source to meet future demand, CCWSA has added another component to its water supply portfolio. The project provides a new source with a capacity of 27 MGD while also establishing infrastructure that can support the authority's longer-term growth.

The project was designed by Garver and constructed by Ruby-Collins, with CCWSA serving as both facility and project owner.

By combining a new permitted river intake, a major raw water transmission system and a lengthy regulatory and environmental effort, the project represents a substantial expansion of the region's water supply infrastructure.

The Chattahoochee River Raw Water Pump Station's combination of scale, regulatory complexity, environmental considerations and long-term community impact earned the project recognition as one of WaterWorld's 2026 Top Projects.