Update 2024-06-17: GA-EPD has said why they did not return followup water quality testing results.

Update 2024-06-11: Quitman, GA, utility maps 2022-01-03.

Update 2024-06-07: Filthy Franks Creek, clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers, despite Ashburn spill 2024-06-05.

Back on December 27, 2023, I sent what I thought was a routine request to the city of Quitman, Georgia, for state-required followup testing after a major sewage spill.

After four requests to Quitman and two to GA-EPD, I finally got a response from GA-EPD this Wednesday, five months later.

This foot-dragging was quite surprising, since previously I had sent such requests to Quitman and they had their former sewer system contractor send the test results within the statutory three days of the Georgia Open Records Act (GORA).

Quitman, GA, Noncompliant for Nov 2022 – Oct 2023 –GA-EPD, 9 effluent, 5 spills,, 11 monitoring, 1 reporting

The GA-EPD response still did not contain the followup test results, but it did show GA-EPD had already taken action for that an other Quitman sewage spills, effluent violations, monitoring violations, and a reporting violation.

Update 2024-06-17: GORArequest.Water@dnr.ga.gov answered on June 7, 2024 my followup questions of that same day:

John,

The LON was sent November 7, 2023. The spill report indicates 5,000 gallons spilled into a drainage ditch. The volume did not exceed 10,000 gallons, so stream monitoring would not be required. EPD’s database has been updated to revise the volume from 12,000 gallons to 5,000 gallons.

Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Thanks

This is the subject sewage spill, according to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (GA-EPD)’s Sewage Spills Report of July 21, 2023.

2023-07-11 Quitman spill in 2023-07-21 GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report

The Quitman WPCP on Highland Ave. is next to Okapilco Creek, which runs into the Withlacoochee River between US 84 and Knights Ferry Boat Ramp.

Map: Quitman WPCP in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

We have evidence that some previous much larger Quitman spills have contaminated the Withlacoochee River down into Florida and possibly also the Suwannee River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

This is the certified letter I sent to Quitman on February 28, 2024, after two emails and a telephone call got no results.

Third request, via certified letter
PDF

The City of Quitman did not sign for the certified letter, so it came back.

Signature
PDF

I made a second telephone call to Quitman City Hall, in which they referred me to ESG, their new water and sewer contractor. After a day, I got a call back from Scott Fowler of ESG, who said I had to ask City Hall for any followup water quality test results. Catch 22.

So then I sent a GORA request to GA-EPD on March 7, 2023. to Dillon Rodenbaugh, the designated GA-EPD person for Quitman, copied to GORArequest.Water@dnr.ga.gov.

FYI, I sent Quitman a request for this information on December 27, 2023, and again January 5, 2024, and by certified letter on February 29, 2024, yet there has been no response.
PDF

I still heard nothing.

On May 31, 2024, I called Dillon Rodenbaugh. He found my previous request in his back mail, and noted he had had a son that day.

I congratulated him and sent him and GORArequest.Water@dnr.ga.gov, “Thank you for acknowledging this GORA request and saying you will contact the city of Quitman about it.”

Finally, on June 5, 2024, I got the rest of the documents you see here from GORArequest.Water@dnr.ga.gov.

It’s refreshing that GA-EPD had alrady taken action about Quitman’s multiple infractions of its wastewater permit.

…from November 2022 to October 2023 the City reported nine (9) effluent violations, five (5) spills of raw sewage into waters of the State, eleven (11) monitoring violations, and one (1) reporting violation…
PDF

And GA-EPD listed specific required actions.

The City must immediately submit the full January 2023 DMR through netDMR. Within sixty (60) days from receipt of this LON please submit an update to the October 27, 2023 response.
PDF

Here is GA-EPD’s summary of a year of Quitman infractions.

Attachment A: tables of violations and spills
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Quitman’s new water and sewer contactor, ESG, had reported to GA-EPD about the July 11 spill on July 12, 2023.

Based on this, we believe that approximately 5,000 gallons spilled into a drainage ditch that exits plant grounds.
PDF

Notice ESG’s spill estimate is only 5,000 gallons, not the 12,500 gallons in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report.

I have asked GA-EPD why the discrepency.

I have also asked if this discrepency is why no followup test results were returned, since 5,000 is less than the 10,000-gallon major spill threshold.

On January 5, 2024, ESG answered the GA-EPD Letter of Noncompliance.

Response to Letter of Noncompliance
PDF

Yes, indeed, Quitman has multiple areas needing improvement.

Here’s another area: how about providing followup test results and reports within the GORA three days instead of five months?

Attachment A: We identified multiple areas needing improvement.
PDF

These all seem like good projects. How are they going?

Projects to address Inflow & Infiltration (I&I)
PDF

The documents mentioned are on the WWALS website.

I also have some other information about Quitman sewage which I will be posting soon.

 -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 behttps://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-06-05–quitman-gora-wq/coming a WWALS member today!
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