More Rain, Same Old Problems

Rain has been falling in Douglas County for a majority of the day, forcing creeks to crest their banks while sediment fences come under strain. Losing Georgia has documented last month that some developments, particularly Brookmont, were having problems controlling sedimentation from entering the streets.

Today many of those problems have been resolved through administrative fines, but some issues remain. Dirt enters streets with improper restraint of weakened sediment fences, but at least fewer problematic fences were found on this rain day.

Brookmont

First stop was the Brookmont subdivision after a tip from Elizabeth hit the e-mail inbox about possible flooding near the development. Here’s what she had to say:

I’ve been listening to the police scanner this morning and a couple of minutes ago [12:14 p.m.] someone called in that the road near Brookmont subdivision was flooded and was impassible. An officer went to the scene and said it wasn’t flooded, but then realized the grading the subdivision developers had been doing is making the road flood with mud and water.

Losing Georgia drove around the perimeter of the subdivision to find all roads passable, but some surface streets were undergoing some light flooding. Inside Brookmont there was flooding on select streets in low lying areas, especially in the Estates section. This time the streets were not covered in mud like the previous time in September.

However a moderate amount of sedimentation fences were found to be down or weakened, still allowing sediment to contact the impervious surface. The Village section was fairly clean, with the exception of one low lying area that has been a problem for quite some time. Little Anneewakee Creek had crested its banks again, but less sedimentation was visible. A positive sign that the developers are finally adhering to County codes, rather than ignoring them entirely.

Slater Mill, Chestnut Hills & Anneewakee Creek

Next stop was the Slater Mill subdivision illustrating a fairly clean effort. Access to Stewart’s Mill Creek could not be established, but the creek was flooding downstream at the intersection of Slater Mill Road and Prestley Mill Road.

Chestnut Hills was experiencing a sedimentation problem at one cul-de-sac. Dirt coming from the construction of a new house uphill was flooding around a drain. The water level was as high as the curb in certain places. Overall most sedimentation fences looked well intact, with only a few weakened.

Anneewakee Creek in Arbor Station was a torrent of rain water rushing out of the culvert from underneath Arbor Place Mall. This has been an ongoing problem for residents who live along the creek in Arbor Station for the past eight years, with flood waters damaging property. Tributaries to the north, above Interstate 20, move water into Anneewakee Creek pushing it south toward the mall. The concrete culvert beneath the mall acts as a funnel, increasing the intensity of flooding that further affect streams downstream in southern parts of Douglas County.

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