DeKalb CEO says sewer spills down 31 percent
DeKalb CEO Mike Thurmond said there were 44 reported sewage spills in the first quarter of 2018 compared to 64 in 2017, a 31 percent drop.
It is too soon to say whether the number reflects a trend that will carry out for the whole year, Thurmond said.
This statistic was part of an update the CEO provided to the Board of Commissioners about the county’s effort to comply with a consent decree requiring clean up of its water and sewer systems. Thurmond spoke about issues the county has faced since the consent decree was finalized in 2011, such as lack of standard operating procedures and a rotating door at the Department of Watershed Management and within the CEO position itself.
He also outlined progress made since he took office in January 2017, including hiring new staff, spending tens of millions of dollars on cleanup and maintenance and implementing a new model for approving new sewer connections.
About the Author
Tia Mitchell is the AJC’s Washington Bureau Chief and a co-host of the "Politically Georgia" podcast. She writes about Georgia’s congressional delegation, campaigns, elections and the impact that decisions made in D.C. have on residents of the Peach State.
