Major Weather Event Causes Sanitary Sewer Overflows in Valdosta

On April 11th, 2024, the City of Valdosta experienced a major weather event. The Lowndes County Emergency Management Director Ashley Tye has indicated that significant rainfall occurred throughout Lowndes County.  For example, in Valdosta and Remerton, rainfall totals ranged from 6 ½ to 8 inches, leading to flooded neighborhoods and road closures, notably on Inner Perimeter. Locations south of U.S. Highway 84, including Dasher and Lake Park, received rainfall totals of 7 to 9 inches. The volume of the rainfall in such a short duration overwhelmed certain drainage infrastructure, causing distress throughout the region. 

Due to the excessive rain, the City’s Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Collection Systems were mostly overwhelmed. The Sanitary Sewer system experienced hydraulic overload, resulting in multiple Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) across the City. Hydraulic overload occurs when the flow rate of wastewater exceeds the sewer capacity, leading to backups or pressure relief through manholes, line breakage, or other events.  This overload was caused in part due to Infiltration/Inflow (I/I) where groundwater or other sources of water enter sanitary sewers and increasing/creating excess volume in the City’s Sanitary System.

City Utilities Divisions promptly responded to citizen calls regarding SSOs, documenting incidents and initiating sanitation efforts in affected areas. Citizens are urged to avoid contact with rivers, creeks, streams, or tributaries in Lowndes County due to potential exposure to untreated sewage.

As of today, the following SSOs have been logged by city staff:

All required regulatory authorities and other requested entities have been notified of this issue. The City is following all required testing and monitoring of the affected waterways and will continue to do so per Georgia Environmental Protection Division regulations. Results of Bacteriological testing for sites can be found on the city website under Water Quality Data.

The City of Valdosta remains committed to preventing Sanitary Sewer overflows, dedicating significant resources to updating aging infrastructure, managing programs, and developing new action plans. For more information on these initiatives or to contribute, please contact the City of Valdosta Utilities Department, Environmental Division, at 229-259-3592.