Last week, a federal judge signed off on the reimagined consent decree that will guide how DeKalb County spends more than $1 billion to fix its spill-prone sewer system.
The arrangement, entered into with the approval of state and federal environmental regulators, gives DeKalb until Dec. 2027 to tackle its failing infrastructure and come into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Compared to the original agreement entered into in 2011, it includes more intermittent reporting requirements and stiffer potential penalties.
It also includes a list of 103 “priority fix” sites — areas known to have issues with repeat spills, whether caused by problems big or small.
Generally speaking, at least half of the priority locations must be addressed within two years. The rest must be fixed within four.
But 21 sites — including one near Lithonia that has dumped tens of millions of gallons of sewage into the South River — are listed as “subject to request for additional time to adequately fix.” The county could ultimately ask the court’s permission to take more time to address them because they are more complex and expensive undertakings.
“We agreed to something unheard of and had never been done before,” county attorney Viviane Ernstes said during a recent meeting.
All 103 priority fix sites are highlighted on the map below, created by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The locations potentially subject to longer-term repairs are marked with an asterisk.
A list of all sites is also included below the map.
— Audience specialist Mandi Albright contributed to this story.
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