That poor unnamed tributary of the Seventeen Mile River is having a tough time.
For the second time in as many months, a major wastewater spill has happened and 12,000 gallons of wastewater flowed into an unnamed tributary of the river. According to a press release from the City of Douglas, the spill took place on June 8 between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. The release stated that “the Sanitary Sewer Overflow occurred from a manhole located inside the South East Water Pollution Control Plant located at 622 Iron Road Douglas, GA 31533 . . . As a precaution, it is recommended that citizens have no contact with the water until after 6/16/2017. ESG/Wastewater Department will be sampling the waterway both upstream and downstream to ensure that the water quality has not been adversely affected. Sampling will be conducted for dissolved oxygen concentration, fecal coliform bacteria, pH, and temperature. The cause of the spill was a faulty submersible backup pump and excessive rainfall causing the wastewater to backup into the system resulting in a sanitary sewer overflow. For more information, contact Kevin Davis, Project Manager 912- 389-3447.”
This is at least the third such spill this year. On April 8, a 7,000 gallon spill took place which dumped wastewater into the tributary for over 12 hours. The other spill happened on March 1 and involved 3,400 gallons.
