50,000 gallons of sewage spills into Balus tributary

GAINESVILLE - A Gainesville environmental specialist doing a routine check of sewer lines and creek inspections discovered a major wastewater spill Tuesday morning.

The wastewater overflow was found around 10 a.m. between Oakwood Road and Old Oakwood Road. Gainesville Public Utilities Department staff estimated the overflow lasted between 48 and 72 hours, and an estimated 50,000 gallons of wastewater spilled onto the ground and entered into a tributary of Balus Creek during that time.

"We did not see any signs of any fish kill or any signs of stressed aquatic life downstream from where that (the spill) had occurred," said Brian Wiley, Gainesville's Environmental Monitoring Coordinator.

"That is a good sign, but it is still considered to be a major spill."

The obstruction was cleared and flow returned to normal around 11 a.m. The area was cleaned and signs were posted. Hall County Environmental Health and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division were contacted.