Sewer Fixes: Prosecutors Favor New Deal With DeKalb

ATLANTA, GA—Federal and state prosecutors recommended approving an updated agreement that gives DeKalb County more time to complete necessary sewer repairs.

The prosecutors' recommendation was filed in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta on August 3. DeKalb County Commissioners signed off on this agreement a year ago, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The next step, as the AJC reports, is for Judge Steven D. Grimsberg to decide if the terms of the agreement will be implemented.

The new consent decree would see DeKalb County pay more than $1 million as a penalty for not completing repairs in the timeframe originally agreed upon.

This agreement would also give DeKalb County until December 2027 to complete repairs on the county's wastewater collection and transmission system, to alleviate spills and overflows. Certain projects would need to be completed by the end of 2021.

The AJC reports a number of spills have happened this summer, including one on July 20 where a million gallons of sewage gushed out of pipes in Lithonia.

In 2010, state and federal environmental regulators filed a suit against DeKalb County, alleging sewer overflow violated water cleanliness regulations.

The county reached an agreement with state and federal representatives in 2011 to clean up the county sewers. However, state and federal prosecutors allege there have still been a number of spills that could potentially contaminate waterways outside of the county.

The original agreement expired last June, as the AJC reports.