Decatur, GA — The county has been working on improvements to sewer lines along Green Street in Decatur, one of DeKalb County’s worst sewer spill sites.

But recent overflows demonstrate there’s still more work to do.

Environmental attorney Ash Miller said, “There are more [sewer spill signs] than I’ve ever seen there from the rain this [past] weekend — supposedly the project is done and the problem fixed, but it looks like it’s worse than before.”

The county says that the first two phases of the project are “nearly complete” and cost about $1.3 million. The county began work in March, working to replace 1,800 feet of sewer pipe.

“On Oct. 10-11, the remnants of Hurricane Delta caused approximately 4 inches of rain to fall in a 3.5-hour period in the Green Street area, which, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, represents a 25- to 50-year storm,” the county said in response to questions from Decaturish about recent spills on Green Street. “Approximately 38,650 gallons of sewage overflowed from two manholes on Oct. 10 in the Green Street area.”

According to the county, in Phase 1 of the project crews rehabilitated 31 manholes and lined deteriorating pipes.

Work in Phase 2 included:

– Upgrading 8-inch sanitary sewer lines to 12-inch lines.

– Replacing seven manholes

– Replacing a sewer main that crosses a creek

– More than a dozen spot repairs of sewer lines

The third phase of the project is part of a $400 million project to deal with large diameter trunk lines in the Snapfinger sewer basin, including lines that serve Green Street, the county says.

In Phase 3 the county will focus on reducing inflows and infiltrations and work to identify problems with private sewage systems.

“DeKalb County has received $340 million in federal and state loans to finance the next phase of projects to address and repair decades of neglect, and prepare for DeKalb’s future,” the county said. “These loans will enable DeKalb County to finance the next phase of projects to protect the environment, support economic growth and fulfill our obligations under the federally mandated Consent Decree.”

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