Member Bio

Cole E.

Blackwell

Professional Title:
General Manager, Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority
NWSA Involvement:
Member
Contact:

About Cole E.

Organizational Overview

Organization Type: Political subdivision of the State of Georgia – Wholesale Potable Water Authority ​Water Supply: Chattahoochee River and Allatoona Lake / Etowah River ​Population Served: 875,000 + ​Water Users: Allatoona Lake – flood control, hydropower (Southeastern Power Administration), recreation, water supply (along with City of Cartersville, GA); Chattahoochee River intake is downstream of Lake Lanier and is release-dependent, but courts have determined no contract for storage in Lake Lanier is required. Hickory Log Creek Reservoir is an impound of Hickory Log Creek and pumped storage from the Etowah River, upstream of Allatoona Lake; this reservoir supplies water to the City of Canton and supplements CCMWA’s storage in Allatoona Lake. ​Total Storage Volume: 13,140 acre-feet in Allatoona Lake and 13,100 acre-feet in Hickory Log Creek Reservoir. ​Key Issues/Challenges: Accurate storage accounting, to include credit for State-granted rights to treated wastewater return flows and “made inflows” from an Authority-owned upstream reservoir; accurate, consistent, and timely billing for contracted storage.

Announcements

Upcoming NWSA Annual Meeting, August 6-7, 2026 in Boston, MA — REGISTER NOW

We are gathering in Boston for NWSA’s Annual Meeting.  Please plan to join us and our Corps of Engineers partners for in-depth discussions on water…

 2026 New Members Update

Welcome to our newest Members! This calendar year, three organizations have joined NWSA:…

Board of Directors and Officers for 2026

At the NWSA Annual Meeting in Irvine, CA, in September 2025, NWSA held elections for the Board of Directors. Subsequent to the elections, the Board…