DALTON,Ga. — Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority (JDA) Executive Director Carl Campbell says that when he’s trying to market the area one of the things he points to is that it has plenty of water and sewer capacity.

But if Dalton and Whitfield County as a whole have plenty of sewer capacity, the same can’t be said of the Carbondale Business Park.

“We have lost projects because we didn’t have enough sewer capacity,” he said. “There were other projects that we didn’t get, but if we had would have used all or almost all of the capacity that we do have.”

That could soon change.

The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) recently awarded Whitfield County a $1.6 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan that could bring new sewer to the business park by 2019.

“We will be putting in a new, bigger infrastructure alongside the existing infrastructure,” Campbell said.

Campbell said the new system will have a capacity of 2 million gallons a day, compared to the existing capacity of 100,000 gallons a day.

“The federal water and sewer programs administered by GEFA assist local governments with improving their environmental infrastructure. Through the Clean Water program, affordable financing helps cities and counties improve water quality,” GEFA Executive Director Kevin Clark said in a press release.

Dalton Utilities will spearhead the project.

“We are currently working to finalize several regulatory requirements for the project in order to acquire final approval to construct the project,” said Mark Buckner, chief watershed services and economic development officer. “Specifically, Whitfield County has submitted an environmental impact report to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) in order to receive certification that the project will not have a significant environmental impact and they expect to receive formal notice very soon. Additionally, Dalton Utilities will need EPD approval for the sewage lift station associated with the project and that approval is expected in early 2018. Dalton Utilities expects to put the project out for competitive bids in the first quarter of 2018 and expects project completion by mid-2019.”

Located in the southern part of Whitfield County just east of I-75, the Carbondale Business Park opened in 2010 and attracted its only tenant so far, adhesive-maker XL Brands, a year later. Whitfield County has spent at least$10.3 million so far developing the 284-acre site.