Update 2024-11-12: Valdosta sewage spills contained after flash flood 2024-11-11.

Update 2024-11-08: Manholes spewing sewage into One Mile Branch at Wainwright Drive, Valdosta, GA 2024-11-08.

Received via email at 11:11 AM this morning: “Although most of the discharge is primarily stormwater, residents are urged to avoid contact with rivers, creeks, streams, or tributaries until further notice.”

Seven sewage spills, two ongoing, Valdosta, GA, including the Withlacoochee WWTP 2024-11-08

WWALS has some evidence that there is substantial E. coli in the water. Stay tuned for that.

Meanwhile, it looks like adding another catch basin at Valdosta’s Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) would have been a good idea after all.

And I’d like to know, why did the City of Valdosta only inform the public about these spills more than a day after they started?

This is not a criticism of the Valdosta Utilities Department or its Director, who I continue to maintain is doing much more than his predecessors.

This is a question for the City Manager, Mayor, and Council.

Valdosta City Schools informed the public quickly about road closures. (Nevermind why Schools and not Public Works or the City’s Public Information Officer.)

Why did the City not inform the public as quickly about sewage getting into the waterways?

Everybody knows there are spills. WWALS already posted pictures and video of the Knob Hill Road spill. But we didn’t know about all of them.

So, tell us, top of the Valdosta City government, why didn’t you inform everyone?

If it’s appropriate today to warn people to stay away from the waterways, why wasn’t that appropriate yesterday?

Will you inform the public next time?

There will be a next time. Sure, this flash flood as a side effect of Hurricane Rafael is unusual. But so was Cat 2 Hurricane Helene. And Hurricane Debby before that. And Hurricane Idalia before that.

None of us can pretend any of that won’t happen again, or worse. The City of Valdosta can keep us all better informed.

City of Valdosta Experiences Significant Rain Event and Flooding, Resulting in Overwhelmed Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Systems

On November 7, 2024, the City of Valdosta and surrounding South Georgia region experienced a significant rain event, with a cumulative total of 17 inches recorded over the past 48 hours.

The volume of rainfall in such a short period overwhelmed portions of the drainage infrastructure, including natural waterways, leading to distress and flooding across the City. The impact was further compounded by debris from Hurricane Helene, which obstructed sections of the stormwater system, redirecting water to areas unequipped to handle such large volumes.

Due to excessive rainfall and resulting flooding, the City’s sanitary sewer and stormwater collection systems were largely overwhelmed. The sanitary sewer system experienced hydraulic overload, causing sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) in several areas. Hydraulic overload occurs when wastewater flow rates exceed the sewer system’s capacity, leading to backups or pressure relief through manholes, line breakages, and other issues. This overload was partially due to infiltration/inflow (I/I), where groundwater or other external water sources enter the sanitary sewers, increasing the volume in the City’s sanitary system beyond capacity.

Additionally, the Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is currently experiencing overflow. Both EQ basins have reached capacity, and the plant is processing at a peak rate of 30.40 MGD.

City utilities divisions promptly responded to citizen reports of SSOs, documenting incidents and beginning sanitation efforts in affected areas. Although most of the discharge is primarily stormwater, residents are urged to avoid contact with rivers, creeks, streams, or tributaries until further notice.

As of today, the following SSOs have been logged by city staff:

Location	Cause	Estimated Gallons
300 Knob Hill	Infiltration and Inflow	9500
1307 N Lee St	Infiltration and Inflow	4000-5000
1413 Williams	Infiltration and Inflow	4000-5000
817 Gornto Rd	Infiltration and Inflow	3000-4000
201 Magnolia St	Infiltration and Inflow	2000-3000
1212 Wainwright Dr	Infiltration and Inflow	Unknown- Active Spill
Withlacoochee WWTP	Infiltration and Inflow	Unknown- Active Spill

All required regulatory authorities and other requested entities have been notified of this issue. The City is following all required testing and monitoring of the affected waterways and will continue to do so per Georgia Environmental Protection Division regulations.

The City of Valdosta remains committed to preventing Sanitary Sewer overflows, dedicating significant resources to updating aging infrastructure, managing programs, and developing new action plans. For more information on these initiatives or to contribute, please contact the City of Valdosta Utilities Department, Environmental Division, at 229-259-3592.

Here’s an augmented table with the affected waterbodies.

Almost all these locations have had previous spills.

The one exception is 201 W. Magnolia Street, which seems to be a bit west of Toombs Street. There’s a manhole in the middle of Magnolia Street there; maybe that is what spilled.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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