SAVANNAH – City of Savannah staff responded to a minor sewage spill at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 1991 GA-25 Connector.
A failed air release valve (ARV) in a sanitary sewer force main caused sewage to discharge through a manhole. An estimated 5,000 gallons spilled before it was stopped. According to Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) guidelines, this is classified as a minor spill—less than 10,000 gallons.
The sewage conveyance system was set to an operating condition that mitigated the spill around 9:15 a.m. The faulty air release valve is in the process of being replaced with a new unit. Additionally, the manhole is being monitored continuously for an extended period of time to ensure any future valve failures are intercepted before a spill occurs. A notice was made for a spill at the same location on Thursday, Oct. 23 due to a failure of the same air release valve that was repaired onsite after the event.
The City is distributing spill notifications via a news release and area signage. All agencies, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, Health Department, and the City of Savannah Office of Communications, were notified per state guidelines.
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