City of Valdosta responds to sewer pipe washout along Sugar Creek
Published 9:41 am Tuesday, January 7, 2025
VALDOSTA — On Monday, at approximately 11:20 a.m., City personnel conducted inspections along Sugar Creek to identify a potential source of recent high bacterial counts in the area and a possible source of inflow into the lift stations. During this inspection, the workers discovered a recent washout where a sewer collection pipe had shifted open, allowing sanitary sewer to flow into the creek and vice versa.
Crews have been dispatched to the location and are actively working to establish containment and bypasses for the affected portion of the line, the City said in a press release Monday evening. At that time, the City said the volume of discharged wastewater was undetermined.
Residents are strongly urged to avoid contact with Sugar Creek from Baytree Road to its confluence with the Withlacoochee River until repairs to this section of the line are completed.
The Utilities Department’s Central Line Division will remain on-site until the issue is resolved. All appropriate regulatory and public health agencies have been notified.
The City of Valdosta remains committed to preventing sanitary sewer overflows, the press release said. The Utilities Department continues to modernize aging infrastructure and implement a range of programs and strategies to minimize and prevent such incidents within the city limits.
For more information about these initiatives or to learn how you can contribute, please contact the City of Valdosta Utilities Department, Environmental Division, at (229) 259-3592.
