News
News

Lawsuits over DeKalb water and sewage spills settled for $275K

ajc.com

Credit: Mark Niesse

Credit: Mark Niesse

By Mark Niesse
April 21, 2017

DeKalb County is paying a combined $275,000 to settle lawsuits by residents whose yards were flooded with water and raw sewage.

The settlements come as the county is in the middle of a $1.35 billion effort to repair its aging and spill-prone water and sewer system.

The first $150,000 payment is going to Joel and Kimberly Easley, whose property in Decatur’s Oakhurst area was swamped at least eight times since October 2015 with sewage and toilet paper.

Another $125,000 settlement goes to James Brown and Stephen Golden, neighbors outside Decatur whose properties were flooded by a water leak.

Please read the full story on MyAJC.com.

Charles Lambert was fired for failing to report raw sewage spills.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

Follow Mark Niesse on twitter
More Stories

Keep Reading

In 1993, Atlanta had two city papers, The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution. The newsrooms merged years earlier, but they didn't become The Atlanta Journal-Constitution until 2001. (AJC 1993)

‘Digital is real time, print is lifetime’: Farewells to the paper AJC

From the sound of the presses to framing special front pages, those who helped build the AJC share their memories.

PSC won’t delay key Georgia Power vote after Democrats’ election wins

The Georgia Public Service Commission has rejected a bid to delay a key vote on whether to allow Georgia Power to execute a historic expansion of its generation fleet.

Clapping out the paper: A farewell to ink, deadlines and the print AJC

Beginning on Jan. 1, this 157-year-old institution will become a fully digital news operation. No more paper. No more ink-stained fingers. No more paper in your driveway.

The Latest

In 1993, Atlanta had two city papers, The Atlanta Journal and the Atlanta Constitution. The newsrooms merged years earlier, but they didn't become The Atlanta Journal-Constitution until 2001. (AJC 1993)

‘Digital is real time, print is lifetime’: Farewells to the paper AJC

LISTEN

‘It’s UATL’: Fire and Ice: The Joy Goddess of Harlem

PSC won’t delay key Georgia Power vote after Democrats’ election wins

Featured

Prosecutor Skandalakis has previously suggested that pursuing criminal charges against President Donald Trump may not be feasible until after he leaves office in 2029. (Craig Hudson/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Prosecutor takes helm of Georgia case against Trump. But will he move forward?

A veteran Georgia prosecutor will decide the fate of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against Donald Trump and his allies.

With some solar power tax breaks expiring, Georgians rush to catch the sun

Georgia solar installers say they’re seeing a surge of customers trying to install rooftop solar systems before federal tax credits go away at the end of the year.

‘Automatic for the People’: Weaver D’s still bonds Athens as era nears end

After feeding everyone from R.E.M. to Brian Kemp, and coining a phrase that went global, Dexter Weaver is preparing to close his storied Athens soul food restaurant.