Major sewage spill, Gornto Pump Station, Valdosta, GA 2022-06-30

Update 2022-07-01: Sewage spill decreased and stopped at Gornto Road Pump Station, Valdosta, GA 2022-06-30.

There’s a major sewage spill going on right now at Valdosta’s Gornto Road Pump Station, next to the YMCA on Gornto Road. This is according to Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson, who called me at 5:18 PM today.

He told me he thinks it will probably be a 100,000 gallon spill. For reference, 10,000 gallons is a major spill.

The cause was apparently a steel pipe that broke.

The spill has been reported to GA-EPD, I’m guessing by telephone.

[Gornto Pump Station, Map]
Gornto Pump Station, Map

The Mayor said they tried rerouting to the Remer Lane Pump Station, but that one fills up, and the sewage comes back. They have thought of a more permanent fix, but that will require some rebuilding.

Meanwhile, numerous city and contractor personnel are en route to the site.

I thank the Mayor for calling WWALS.

WWALS member Bobby McKenzie noticed it at 5PM when he picked up his children from the Y, and he sent the picture.

[Sewage into the air fromm Gornto Pump Station --Bobby McKenzie]
Sewage into the air fromm Gornto Pump Station –Bobby McKenzie

The Gornto Road Pump Station is about a thousand feet uphill from the Withlacoochee River.

[2022-06-30--valdosta-gornto-pump-station-map]
2022-06-30 Valdosta Gornto Road Pump Station in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

That’s downstream from Sugar Creek, and upstream from the Wood Valley Subdivision. Also upstream from where five of us spent Saturday morning chainsawing deadfalls to clear paddling passage. Nobody’s going to want to paddle there for a while.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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