Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

More than 15,000 gallons of sewage spilled in Gwinnett this week

Three sewer spills in recent weeks have come from blocked manholes in Gwinnett County. AJC FILE PHOTO
Three sewer spills in recent weeks have come from blocked manholes in Gwinnett County. AJC FILE PHOTO
By Arielle Kass
Jan 31, 2020

Nearly 9,000 gallons of sewage spilled into a Lawrenceville waterway Thursday.

The spill, at a manhole at 225 Camden Park Drive, was caused by debris from paper, wipes and other products that didn’t break apart in the sewer system, causing a blockage, a notice said. The sewage entered an unnamed tributary of Pew Creek over nearly two and a half hours.

The Gwinnett County department of water resources spread lime in the area to mitigate the effects of the spill.

There have been two other recent spills. One, on Sunday, let 6,738 gallons of sewage into an unnamed tributary of Shoal Creek after a breach that lasted nearly two hours at a manhole at 327 Amelia Garden Way in Lawrenceville. The cause was also paper and other debris.

The other, Jan. 21, released about 1,537 gallons of sewage into an unnamed tributary of Richmond Creek. That spill occurred at a manhole at 838 Austin Creek Drive in Buford. The cause was a backup of rocks and construction debris.

The spills did not affect the drinking water supply, a county spokesperson said.

About the Author

Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.

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