Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division says an estimated 30,000 gallons of untreated sewage reached Sullivan Creek after a spill at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Wednesday.
EPD confirmed that about 33,000 gallons spilled from a wastewater lift station, with most of it reaching the creek. The agency is classifying the release as a “major spill.”
Because Sullivan Creek feeds into the Flint River, downstream public water systems were notified. EPD said Fayette, Fulton and Clayton counties, along with College Park and the city of Griffin, received notice. The airport says downstream water quality is being monitored.
Signs posted by the airport near the creek warn people not to swim, fish or play in the waterway until the signs are removed.
Flint Riverkeeper also has a crew investigating and collecting samples downstream. The environmental group says its team has observed dead fish in the affected area. EPD has not yet attributed any fish deaths to the sewage spill.
The spill is the latest discharge from the airport to raise concerns about water quality downstream. GPB News has documented three petroleum releases that reached the Flint River this year, including a January jet fuel spill that went undetected for eight days and a Memorial Day weekend leak caused by a broken bolt on an underground fuel line.
State Rep. Robert Dickey, whose Middle Georgia district includes Crawford and Upson counties along the Flint River, said the latest incident adds to his concerns about repeated releases from the airport. Dickey represents House District 134, which also includes parts of Lamar and Peach counties.
“I know accidents happen,” Dickey told GPB News. “But it seems like we really have a pattern up there at the airport that needs attention.”
Dickey said he is considering whether state legislation may be warranted, although he has not determined what such a proposal would include.
“If the city of Atlanta, who owns the airport, is not going to take responsibility, maybe the state — it’s time to step in,” Dickey said. “We just want the problem fixed.”
The sewage spill comes during a 60-day notice period triggered after Flint Riverkeeper and the Southern Environmental Law Center notified Atlanta in July that they intend to sue over what they allege are longstanding Clean Water Act violations at the airport. The groups must wait at least 60 days after providing notice before filing their federal Clean Water Act claims.
Dickey said he hopes the threatened legal action leads to changes.
“Somebody’s going to need to take some oversight, some responsibility, some initiative to fix what I perceive to be a problem at the airport,” he said.
The airport declined to comment beyond its news release. GPB News also requested comment from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
