MEDIA CONTACTS
| Andrew Cauthen | Quinn Hudson |
| Communications Manager | Chief Communications Officer |
| 404-371-2806 (o) | 404-371-2813 (o) |
| 470-553-4408 (c) | 470-522-8923 (c) |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2021
Rainfall from Tropical Storm Fred Causes 2.8 Million Gallons of Sewage to Spill from DeKalb Sewers
$1 billion Consent Decree will fix decades-old problems
DECATUR, Ga. — Heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred on Aug. 17 caused a total of 2.8 million gallons of sewage to spill into DeKalb County waterways at 13 locations.
Tropical Storm Fred dumped three to four inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period throughout much of DeKalb, causing flooding and severe stormwater runoff.
The spills, including a 2.5-million-gallon spill from a manhole located near Meadow Creek Path, was caused by stormwater intrusion into the wastewater system. This spill, which flowed into the South River, accounted for 90 percent of the total spill volume on Aug. 17.
Federal and state agencies have approved a seven-year $1 billion countywide Consent Decree to fix the county’s aging sewer system. A federal district judge is currently reviewing the plan.
Since 2017, 22 spills have been recorded at the Meadow Creek Path manhole located in southwest DeKalb County.
DeKalb County has completed various projects to reduce spills that include the replacement of a sewer line creek crossing and rehabilitation of 48,000 linear feet of pipe upstream to reduce stormwater entering the system.
Residents can assist with reducing spills by eliminating sources such as illegal connections to sanitary sewer systems and replacing missing and broken sewer cleanout caps.
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