Officials say electrical issues caused Gainesville sewage overflow

Electrical issues were the cause of a small sewage overflow discovered Friday by the Gainesville Department of Water Resources on Noble Fir Trace, according to a press release from the City of Gainesville.

The release states that winds and flooding from Hurricane Zeta caused power outages in the area, which led to the overflow from a wastewater lift station on Noble Fir Trace in Cresswind at Lake Lanier subdivision.

“The overflow was caused by the malfunction of the automatic switch to transfer the station off emergency power and back to utility power,” said Department of Water Resources Director Linda MacGregor in a prepared statement.

Before the issue was resolved Friday afternoon, an undetermined amount of wastewater washed into a small tributary of Lake Lanier north of Browns Bridge Road and west of McEver Road, according to the release.

In a prepared statement, MacGregor said the DWR estimates the overflow was small, but they are still determining the exact amount.

Upon inspection, the DWR found “limited evidence” of the overflow near the lift station and stream, and no evidence of dead or stressed aquatic life was observed.

“Field sampling showed both upstream and downstream locations were within state water quality standards,” MacGregor said in a statement.

The release states the Georgia Environmental Protection Division was notified and signs were posted at the site.