Councilmember Derrick Boazman (District 12), Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Jack Ravan and community leaders celebrated the completion of the Phases I - IV of the Tenth Ward Trunk Sewer Relief & Rehabilitation project on Thursday, August 7, 2003 at 10:00 a.m. The infrastructure improvement project involved the replacement of a sewer line that was too small to handle the current flows. A ribbon was cut to dedicate the bench and plaque donated to the community by the three contractors on the Tenth Ward sewer project on Evans Drive to commemorate the successful completion of the final phase ahead of schedule and within budget.
The new sewer line is capable of handling the current flow and anticipated commercial and residential development in the area. It will prevent sanitary sewer overflows into surrounding creeks and prevent backups into neighborhood homes and yards. Protecting the tributaries that flow into the South River also benefits our downstream neighbors. The South River flows into Lake Jackson, a drinking source for downstream communities.
The Tenth Ward Trunk Sewer Project is one of 10 sanitary sewer capital improvement projects the City has undertaken to improve our sanitary sewer infrastructure. It is funded from the $1.1 billion water and sewer bond sale held in March 1999. The 10th Ward Relief Sewer is located in the southeast quadrant of the City of Atlanta and is part of the South River basin. It was divided into six parts. Phase VI was completed in June 2000 and Phase V in November 2001.
Although Mayor Shirley Franklin was not able to attend the ceremony, the Mayor issued a congratulatory statement saying, “The City of Atlanta continues to exceed expectations in the management of these ambitious sewer improvement projects. Nine of the ten projects completed were finished ahead of the consent decree deadlines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. The City has also rehabilitated over a 100 miles of existing sewers, exceeding its goal of 24 miles per year by 25%. These projects safeguard our watersheds and create a cleaner, healthier environment for Atlanta and our neighbors.”
A Federal Consent Decree signed in July 1998, committed the City of Atlanta to an accelerated program of activities designed to further improve water quality in metro Atlanta streams and the Chattahoochee and South Rivers. The Consent Decree specifically directed the City of Atlanta to develop and implement, by 2007, a solution that would end water quality violations resulting from combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The Consent Decree was amended in May 1999 to add projects that would eliminate water quality violations from sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) by 2014.
Additional Media Contact: William Horton, Citizen Participation Program Office (404) 330-6036
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