A hole outside Camille May’s northwest Atlanta home keeps growing. She doesn’t like it.
The 28-year-old Grove Park resident says her house and Eugenia Street have been experiencing water drainage problems since before she moved to the neighborhood. Despite multiple phone calls and emails with city officials and departments, she says she has gotten little help.
As May waits for answers, the drainage problems continue and the hole in the street gets bigger. The hole which is just a few feet from her house, started as simple cracks in the street, and has now grown into something more serious.
“I’m kind of at my wit’s end dealing with the city because...you know, nothing has happened,” May said.
May moved from New York and bought her first home in August 2021. What could have been an exciting time was soon filled with emails and calls to city officials, explaining her concerns with water draining problems on the street.
Initially, May tried to describe waterflow issues to the Department of Watershed Management through a phone call in September. She says the department visited the site but they did not find any problems. Following the phone call made to the DWM, May emailed Atlanta City Councilman Dustin Hillis, stating the same concerns, this time adding pictures. May says DWM went to the site again and found problems with the drainage system.
May says the department agreed with her conclusion that there is not an adequate drainage system to remove excess water. Every time it rains, May says, rocks from a gravel road travel down a hill in the neighborhood, ultimately blocking the drain near her yard. Rather than the water going to the drain a few feet from her house, May says the water travels toward her house, to her backyard.
“I’ve gone out to clear it. But I also don’t think that I should be the only one clearing that drain,” May said.
The Department of Watershed has visited several times, but May says she is unable to get a clear answer on when it will be fixed. May was told the city would create a driveway apron at the end of her driveway to keep excess water from traveling toward her house. The apron that she was promised by December 2021 has still not been installed, she said.
While May was seeking drainage solutions, the hole began forming in January 2022. She has not received an explanation as to what could be causing the hole in the street that, according to photos she’s taken, has swallowed a city drain grate.
Credit: Courtesy of: Camille May
Credit: Courtesy of: Camille May
Credit: Courtesy of: Camille May
Credit: Courtesy of: Camille May
For the past six months, May has been unable to receive any clear answer from anyone about when the drainage system and hole will be fixed. Because the damage continues to worsen, May is concerned someone could get hurt.
“It’s a big issue because there’s a hole in the road that is a hazard,” May said.
May also said that this road has high foot and vehicular traffic.
“Maybe this area isn’t important enough yet because there aren’t that many, you know, high paying, high-income people here yet or what the issue is, but I think that the quality of life for safety and, you know, for the health and well-being of everyone here that our roads have to be passable,” May said.
Hillis told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through email on Tuesday that progress had been made since May called the DWM. Much work needed to be done before repairs started, including cleaning the road and drain, and research needed by the DWM, Hillis said.
May said cones have been put up around the damage, and that she’s seen the drain cleaned once. She said she was also told in September that research would take five weeks.
In a Tuesday email, the DMW told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that work on the drainage system will start Monday.
May is frustrated and disappointed.
“Honestly, I’m disgusted. Because I know that Atlanta has money and I’m sure that there’s money allocated for transportation,” May said.
“But the idea that people in Atlanta, whether they’re transplants, or natives should just sit by and wait for the government to get around to it, it’s just not what I’m used to,” she added.
About the Author
