Credit to the City of Valdosta for getting a press release out the same day as a sewage spill, for stopping the spill within an hour of hearing about it, and for keeping it small.

However, I’ve lost count of how many sewage spills Valdosta has had out of this same Wainwright Drive manhole, even after they added a second manhole next to it. This picture is from one such spill last November, into One Mile Branch, which goes to Sugar Creek, then into the Withlacoochee River.

Yet another Wainwright Drive sewage spill 2025-08-04, Into One Mile Branch to Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee River

Children play in One Mile Branch directly below those manholes.

Six children playing by the notoriously sewage-spilling manhole, One Mile Branch, 2025-04-26, 11:02:12, –jsq for WWALS 30.8426742, -83.3014042

Valdosta City Press Release, received 5:10 PM, August 4, 2025, Sanitary Sewer Overflow Near Wainwright Drive,

At approximately 11:30 a.m. on Monday, August 4, 2025, Central Lines personnel from the City of Valdosta Utilities Department were dispatched to investigate a potential sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) near 1212 Wainwright Drive. Upon arrival, crews identified a sanitary sewer manhole discharging into the adjacent Sugar Creek.

The Utilities Department immediately notified the relevant divisions, who promptly responded to assess the situation. It was determined that the overflow resulted from excessive Infiltration and Inflow (I&I) into the sanitary sewer collection system, largely due to a significant rain event earlier that morning. The increased volume of stormwater overwhelmed the system, causing the discharge.

The overflow ceased within the hour, with an estimated release of between 500 and 1,000 gallons.

The City of Valdosta is committed to protecting public health and the environment. The Utilities Department continues to invest in the upgrading of aging infrastructure, as well as in proactive maintenance, monitoring programs, and the development of new strategies to mitigate the impacts of severe weather and I&I.

For more information about these initiatives or to learn how you can help protect our local waterways, please contact the City of Valdosta Utilities Department, Environmental Division, at (229) 259-3592.

 -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/

Short Link: