A pond serving a mobile home park off U.S. Highway 29 in north Athens spilled about 1.5 million gallons of sewage into a creek Thursday.
The spill occurred at Country Corners Mobile Home Park, a neighborhood behind the Georgia State Patrol and driver services office.
“We feel it’s bad enough the public should be notified,” said Adela Gentry, director of operations for Environmental Management Services, a private company hired to address the problem and monitor the spill.
The state Environmental Protection Division was notified, according to the company.
Public notices have been posted in the area warning the public of the health hazard and to not swim or fish in West Fork Trail Creek and Sandy Creek Old Trail Lake, a private pond on the creek south of the spill.
A neighbourhood tree planting project in Norden has now been completed after 12 months of planning.
Fifteen tree whips from the Woodland Trust – five rowan, five hazel and five crab apple – have now been planted on the green at the junction of Seven Acres Lane and Keepers Drive.
Upon receipt of the tree whips, and the completion of safety checks, local residents were invited to plant them over two afternoons.
Tree whips are unbranched young tree seedlings that have been grown for planting. They are usually between 50cm and 1m in height and are between two and three years old.
Abiding by Covid-19 guidelines, 14 households including children and grandchildren were notified, with each family allocated a time to plant.