It’s like a breath of fresh air. Georgiana’s water supply is no longer smelling of rotten eggs since the city did some repairs to the system earlier this month.

“It’s not stinking, and that’s a good thing,” said mayor Mike Middleton.

“The work we did has solved the problem, at least for now.”

Due to the city’s antiquated infrastructure, the mayor knows a long-term solution will be required.

Finding funding for it is another matter.

“We are going to have to keep seeking grant monies to deal with this. It’s the only way we will be able to do it,” Middleton said.

After being told it would cost $2,000 to fix the problem, the city spent approximately $200 to perform a DIY repair on the water system. They replaced some worn-out and easily stopped-up pipes that were interfering with chlorine entering the system, leading to the overwhelming scent of hydrogen sulfide in the water.

“We didn’t have, and we don’t have, the kind of money it would take to really get it the way we want it,” Middleton said.

He added the City of Georgiana has been pursuing grant monies for infrastructure improvement for “a long time” but has had little success thus far.

“The problem is, everybody has their hand out right now, but we just have to keep trying,” Middleton said.

“Our citizens have made it clear they do not want a rate hike in their water bill, and we don’t have a lot of other alternatives left.”

The next Georgiana City Council meeting is set for Tuesday night, September 2, at 7 p.m. at the meeting room downtown. The public is invited to attend.