'Great Wall of Roswell': Developer Cited For Erosion Control Problems

ROSWELL, GA -- The controversial 36-foot high retaining wall that's become a thorn in the side of many Roswell residents continues to present problems for citizens and its neighbors.

This time, Mother Nature's spring showers has unearthed an erosion control issue that led to the city issuing a stop-work order to developers on the site.

A video uploaded Tuesday to YouTube by a resident, which has also been shared on social media, shows a heavy downpour in Roswell and water flowing into the streets and ponding on the sides and the middle of the road. It also shows precipitation flowing like a waterfall off what's been sarcastically dubbed by some as the Great Wall of Roswell, which is made up of three, 12-foot retaining walls stacked on top of each other along Coleman Road.

The video, which can be seen below, was shared on The Great Wall of Roswell and Preserve Coleman Road Facebook pages and generated dozens of comments from residents.

Patch reached out to the city of Roswell, which said it's working with the developer to resolve the problem.

"We have identified problems with the erosion control measures that have caused silt to leave the site," city spokesperson Julie Brechbill added. "The issues they have been experiencing during the construction phase have been mostly due to improper maintenance of erosion control measures and a number of very intense rain events that have overwhelmed the protection measures they have in place."

Brechbill added the most recent downpours resulted in the area receiving close to two inches of water within 40 minutes. Roswell eventually cited the developer for not properly maintaining erosion control on the site. Additionally, following the last rain event, Roswell has stopped work on the site until the erosion control issues are fixed.

Patch has also reached out to Mayor Jere Wood for comment. Councilman Mike Palermo said the developer "will have some explaining to do in court" in connection to the citations it's received. While workers will be on the site, they will be focused on addressing the erosion control issues and not constructing new homes.

"An infuriating situation potentially causing safety issues, environmental issues, and visual issues that all need to be addressed," he added on his Facebook page.

Images via YouTube video