Sewage spilled into a Grovetown creek Friday after a malfunction of equipment at a city water treatment plant, officials said.
Less than 10,000 gallons of raw sewage flowed into Erin Branch Creek, which would be considered a minor spill, according to a City of Grovetown press release.
Workers quickly identified the problem as a faulty battery in a control panel. An electrician fixed the issue and reactivated pumps at the water treatment plant, which ended the spill, according to the press release. Workers placed warning signs along the creek to keep people from getting into the water.
Frank Karl, a retired bio-chemist and former executive director of the Savannah River Keeper, said less than 10,000 gallons is a minor spill, but that Erin Branch Creek is a tributary of the Uchee Creek, which flows into the Savannah River.
The Savannah River Keeper is a non-profit group and each month members take water samples in Uchee Creek (also spelled Euchee Creek). Their test site is downstream of Erin Branch Creek, so if water quality is impacted by Friday’s spill the Savannah River Keeper group will know and notify the public, Karl said.
The city reported the spill to the Columbia County Health Department, according to the press release.
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
