Sewer line collapse spills 100,000 gallons
Jan. 12—VALDOSTA — A sewer line cowllapse sent 100,000 gallons of sewage into a ditch draining into a river, the city of Valdosta said in a statement Friday.
Around 4 p.m. Wednesday, utility personnel were sent to a possible sewer overflow at 213 Knob Hill Drive; they found a manhole overflowing from the backside of Williamsburg Drive, the statement said.
The overflow was caused by a sewer line collapse, and a bypass pump system had to be installed to make repairs possible.
Recent sewage problems have bedeviled Valdosta:
— In late June, the collapse of an eight-inch sewer pipe released "an undetermined amount of diluted sewage" into One Mile Creek.
— This was followed in July by nearly 200,000 gallons of wastewater spilling in an overflow near the 1800 block of East Park Avenue.
— This was followed in early August with a 6,000 gallon spill alongside River Street.
— Two spills were reported in December. An estimated 6,300 gallons of sewage flooded four houses in the 2100 block of Pin Oak Circle on Dec. 2, and 425,000 gallons overflowed in the 1800 block of Park Avenue Dec. 11.
The city is updating aging sewage infrastructure; for more information, call the utilities department's environmental division at 229-259-3592.
Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.
