Big rainfall total being blamed for wastewater spill

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville utilities workers scrambled between 12:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. Tuesday as the constant deluge of rain overwhelmed the pumping capabilities at the Flat Creek Water Reclamation Facility.

"We recorded over seven inches of rain here at the plant at Flat Creek in less than 24 hours. It just sort of maxed out our capabilities," Gainesville Environmental Services Administrator Horace Gee said.

He said it was a difficult situation that prompted a call for more help.

"We called in about six of our maintenance personel. Basically we used some additional pumps that we had and transferred the water into some basins that normally don't receive water, to try to minimize the impact," Gee said.

The estimated spill was between 1 and 1.5 million gallons that bypassed the final treatment process.

As is the case with spills, city officials have gone into the monitoring protocol. Tuesday morning, they posted signs and continued monitoring the spill site.

Hall County Environmental Health, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Georgia Environmental Protection Division were notified, according to the city.