EPD Investigates Sewage Spill Into Chattahoochee

Columbus water officials could face stiff fines from a major sewage spill into the Chattahoochee River over the weekend.

Weekend rainfall flushed more than 1.5 million gallons of sewage into the Chattahoochee and nearby Lake Oliver in western Georgia.

Steve Davis with Columbus Water Works says more than five inches of rain overwhelmed the city's sewer system at two points. But, he says the spill likely is not a public health risk:

"We'd be very surprised. We don't suspect that even through our water quality sampling that we'll see much impact. From a public perspective, I wouldn't be concerned."

Davis says sewage that overflowed into the river was already well-diluted, and diluted further by strong river flow.

Columbus Water has already filed a report to the Enviromental Protection Division, with a meeting between officials soon to come. The EPD says Columbus Water Works could face fines, based on completion of a full review.

GA. EPD Chief: states should split cost of independent water study

The state’s environmental chief says Georgia, Florida and Alabama should band together to pay for an independent federal study on water issues between the three states, instead of waiting for Congress to approve it. Two Florida Senators along with U.S.Congressman Allen Boyd want the National Academy of Sciences to examine the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin. Georgia Enviromental Protection Director Carol Couch says the three states should split the cost themselves for the study. Officials think a thorough, independent look at the waterways can help lead to a solution of the three decade-long dispute over sharing water.

Several water providers get rollback on restrictions

State environmental officials have given approval to a group of 15 water providers for a rollback of certain water restrictions. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the providers all applied for looser restrictions within the past two weeks. A state official says each government had to prove it still has a good water supply with conservation measures in place. The list of providers with eased restrictions includes Carroll, Cherokee, Clayton, and Walker counties.