Monday, August 12, 2024–8:53 p.m.

-David Crowder, WRGA News-

The Rome City Commission has delayed a vote on the location of a new reverse osmosis water treatment facility.

The city will construct the facility to remove PFAS from the drinking water supply on the Oostanaula River using funds obtained in a settlement with carpet manufacturers, chemical companies, and others.

The actions that this governing body undertook to launch that project represented in my eyes, tremendous decisive leadership and an enormous amount of bravery before we had any idea what was going to happen with a lawsuit and before we had any money in the bank to pay for it,” said Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, Executive Director & Riverkeeper at the Coosa River Basin Initiative. As somebody who thinks that our drinking water resources for industry, and for residential consumption are a critical asset for a community, I’ve spoken openly about how much I value the leadership of discovering body and that effort.

Demonbreun-Chapman supports the Riverside location.

“Having it within view of the source water tells an incredible story,” he said. “By sighting that plant within view of the source water tells an incredible visual story and I think we’re in a situation where we are going to be faced with a very Kevin Costner Field of Dreams situation –when we build it folks will come. I think that we have an opportunity to locate this facility in a location that tells a compelling story on the banks of the source water where people from across the country are going to want to see the results of the decisive leadership of this community.”

Some members of the commission would like to see the plant located elsewhere, perhaps at the public works site on Vaughn Road, saving Riverside Parkway for future commercial development.