Customers of the Henry County Water Authority will not be in danger of having their water and sewer service disconnected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision to suspend customer cutoffs for lack of payment is one of several moves made by HCWA officials amid the uncertainty brought about by this crisis. In a statement released last week, it was also stated that customers would be allowed to make special payment arrangements when necessary.
Once the first documented case of the coronavirus surfaced in Henry County two weeks ago, the authority implemented the first phase of what it called its “business continuity and redundancy plans to assure continued water and sewer operations, while protecting public health.”
As with virtually every government agency in Henry County, the HCWA has closed its McDonough offices to the public while still offering drive-through service to customers. Water service personnel can be contacted via phone or email, and customers can pay their bills online or by phone or mobile device as well as at the drive-through window.
Employees are teleworking or reporting directly to their respective job sites, and new development or pre-construction conferences or meetings are being held in the field, according to officials.
The second phase of the HCWA plan calls for “providing redundancy in operations and consistent coverage.” Services that have been identified as critical functions include customer service, water treatment and wastewater treatment.
The authority has duplicated its customer call center, moving staff to a separate building to assist with handling the higher volume of calls, according to officials. All preventive maintenance activities that are not “mission critical” have bene suspended. Officials have also made sure that labor contractors are on call to assist with line repairs and related emergencies if necessary.
The HCWA wants to emphasize that the water in Henry County is absolutely safe to drink. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conventional water treatment like that of the HCWA uses filtration and disinfection that removes or inactivates the virus that causes COVID-19. In addition, the World Health Organization has stated that the presence of the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water supplies.
One thing HCWA officials want to remind all customers is to refrain from using their toilets to dispose of so-called “flushable” wipes, cooking oil or grease, or anything else that is not actual toilet paper. While customers are confined to their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, workers have had to deal with “the unintended and likely unintentional consequences of a higher volume of wet wipes and grease entering its sewer lines.”
For updates and more information on HCWA operations, citizens can phone 770-957-6659 or visit www.hcwa.com.
