Columbia County Facts

 This information is courtesy of Columbia county's website

We have grown from 9,525 in 1950 to more than 100,000 in 2004. Rapid growth has transformed this county from a rural neighbor of Augusta to the major suburban county in the second largest metropolitan area in Georgia. There are many reasons for our rapid growth (65% during the '80s and more this decade) - a growing and diversified job market, a premier school system, affordable land, open spaces lending an air of the countryside, and a stable, conservative county government. Columbia County is predominantly residential and includes a highly-skilled workforce. Household income levels rank third among Georgia's 159 counties.

The Board of Commissioners is comprised of five individuals.  One commissioner is elected from each of the four districts, and the chairman is elected county-wide.  Each commissioner chairs one service committee and vice chairs another. The service committees are Public Works, Planning & Engineering Services, Community and Emergency, and Management and Financial.

. . . And Did You Know ?

• Flag rules and regulations -- see how to properly display a flag.
  • The average person generates 1 ton of trash per year. It costs the average family 27¢ per day to handle its solid waste.
  • The Columbia County landfill handled over 72,918 tons of waste last year.
  • Baker Place and Chamblin Roads have been "adopted" and cleaned by the landfill employees as part of their "good neighbor" policy.
  • The average family uses 100,000 gallons of water per year for domestic use only (not counting lawn watering!)
  • It takes about 12 hours to take water from the Savannah River, treat it, and put it into the Columbia County water system.
  • Depending on the condition of the road, it can cost $294,000 per mile to prepare and pave a dirt road.
  • That the average cost of resurfacing paved roads approximates $30,000 per mile.
  • According to Federal census figures released over the past decade, Columbia is the region's fastest growing county. Between 1990 and 2000, the county added more than 23,000 residents, raising its population from 66,031 to 89,288.
  • There are over 1,155 Columbia County specially trained citizens who volunteer with the Recreation Department, Emergency Management Agency, fire departments, and Sheriff's Office.
  • County departments responded to 7,729 citizen service requests during the past 12 months!
  • Animal Care & Control Officers responded to 11,793 locations throughout the County in the past 12 months.
  • There are 3,200 meals delivered to Columbia County senior citizens that meet the requirements each month.
  • Columbia County Public Transit provides an average of 1,800 passenger trips each month.
  • There were 12.3 miles of new roads built for subdivisions last year.
  • There were 58,823 feet of stormwater pipe installed in new subdivisions last year.
  • The Columbia County Water Utility:
    • Has the ability to produce 39 millions gallons per day of drinking water
    • Adds 99 tons of fluoride to the treated drinking water each year
    • Maintains almost 500 miles of water mains throughout the County
    • Reads approximately 33,000 water meters per month
    • Maintains roughly 7,000 manholes throughout the wastewater conveyance system
    • Removes over 3 millions pounds of solids from the treated wastewater each year
  • Fleet Services currently has maintenance responsibilities for 660 vehicles ranging in from a gasoline lawnmower to the largest piece of earthmoving equipment.
  • Currently it averages Fleet Services 1:12 minutes to perform a service inspection and PM (preventative maintenance) service on a gasoline engine county vehicle.  That time is over 25% faster then book (chilton's/flatrate) allows.
  • Board of Elections has 65,926 registered voters
  • $1.2 million has been spent on Greenspace land acquisitions -  A goal is in place to protect 20% of the county in Greenspace (37,000 acres). 10,057 acres are currently in Greenspace inventory.
  • The new Columbia County Visitors Center at SRP has had over 13,000 guests since opening in July 2004 - from 40 states and 13 countries
  • Savannah Rapids Pavilion has had more than 1.4 million guests since its opening in 1993
  • The County manages over 1400 acres of parkland
  • The Recreation Department registers over 5,000 participants annually
  • The new public library will have over 110,000 books in inventory, and the new facility is 4 times the size of  the Gibbs Library Branch
  • Currently, there are 6 County park projects underway
  • The County Extension Service receives over 14,000 inquiries annually