You only think you've

got a high water bill.

If Coweta County wanted to provide sewer to all its residents and businesess,

the infrastructure costs could top the Austin Powers'- like $1 billion

price tag.

That was just one of the informational nuggets tossed out during last

week's workshop of the Coweta County Commission.

As the county continues to grow, the question of sewer is becoming a bigger

and more thought-consuming issue for the five members of the commission.

The county has a limited sewerage operation that provides wastewater treatment

for the county's industrial park in Shenandoah, but other commercial

operations rely on septic tanks.

"We all know we need it at Thomas Crossroads," said chairman

Leigh Schlumper.

The busy crossroads is the site of three large shopping centers, and Schlumper

said the Publix store had suffered two septic failures in the past few

months. In fact, Schlumper favors creating a community improvement district

for the area that would allow businesses in the area to pay for the infrastructure

if they wanted sewer for their establishment.

When county administrator Theron Gay provided an estimate of what sewer

would cost for the area, you could almost hear a collective gulp in the

room.

"Besides the cost, you probably wouldn't be able to get permits

for the whole area," Gay added.

Instead of focusing on getting sewerage for the whole county, Commissioner

Larry DeMoss suggested the county look at a much smaller area.

"We need to look at getting sewer at all the interstate exits to

help spur growth," he said.

That could provide a less costly option for the county, but county attorney

Mitch Powell also warned the commission about another problem.

"The biggest problem is where you draw the line where the connection

ends," he said.

Commissioner Greg Tarbutton agreed the county could not provide sewerage

for the whole county, but agreed the county needed to look at expanding

its fledgeling system.

"Sewer's a resource that can help you improve your tax base,"

he said.

The commission decided not to fund a comprehensive sewer study for the

region, but did instruct staff to investigate the issue further.