A spill that sent more than 4,300 gallons of sewage into a Gwinnett County stream this week was caused by vandalism, officials said.

The spill was reported around 8:40 a.m. Wednesday at a manhole near 190 Hebron Church Road in Dacula, according to the Department of Water Resources. It took nearly an hour to contain and about 4,320 gallons of sewage flowed into "an unnamed tributary of Hopkins Creek."

"The manhole lid had been removed and yard debris/brush were dumped into the sewerage system, causing a blockage and resulting in the spill," water resources spokeswoman Karen Shields wrote in an email.

Workers raked the area and spread lime, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division was notified, officials said.

The incident was the second notable spill in Gwinnett in less than a week.

About the Author

Keep Reading

The entrance of the Qcells solar panel factory was photographed in Cartersville on May 14, 2025.
(Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, has decided to run for governor. (Ben Gray for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Ben Gray for the AJC