VALDOSTA – An estimated 425,000 gallons of sewage spilled from the city’s sewer system in the 1800 block of Park Avenue Monday.

City officials said City of Valdosta Utility Central Lines Personnel were inspecting manholes and sewer lines on the current Bypass and Sanitary Sewer line upgrades project when they found a manhole in a state of overflow.

“It was found that the system was inundated with water due to recent rain events and caused a hydraulic overload,” according to a statement shared Friday morning, Dec. 15.

The statement said the cause of the system’s overload was due to infiltration and inflow, which is the process of groundwater, entering sanitary sewers.

The weather station at Colquitt EMC — part of a network available online at georgiaweather.net — reported 1.83 inches of rain Sunday.

The responders began working the issue and were able to obtain more pumps, reorient the current setup and resolve the issue, the city said.

“An estimated 425,000 gallons of wastewater were released from the manhole and into the surrounding area before the system was able to catch up. City staff immediately began cleanup procedures and disinfection at the overflow location. All appropriate regulatory and public health agencies were notified,” the release said.

This is the second known sewage overflow this month. A sewer main blockage flooded four homes on Pin Oak Circle Dec. 2. That spill released an estimated 6,300 gallons of wastewater into One Mile Branch.

“Preventing sewer spills has been, and will continue to be, the city’s top priority through the ongoing Collection System Rehab Program, which includes Manhole Rehab, the Smoke Testing Program, Sewer Main Lining, and Sewer Main Replacement. In addition, the Utilities Department has an ongoing River Sampling Program that tests waters at different locations down the Withlacoochee River, Mud Creek, and various tributaries. The city has continued to install generators at the lift stations to ensure uninterrupted operation during power failures,” the statement said.

In addition to the programs listed above, in 2020, the Utilities Department initiated two additional programs, the “Creek Crossing” program, and the “Cap the Cleanout” program, to help locate infiltration and inflow in the collection system. These programs are designed to specifically check each manhole and sewer line on or near water to verify proper operation and to ensure each house has its cleanout cap installed and the cleanout is in working order, the city said.

The city said it will continue its ongoing efforts to improve the infrastructure of the sewer system to eliminate these issues in the future.

For more information, please contact the City of Valdosta Utilities Department, Environmental Division at 229-259-3592.