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.
