City continues to work on storm drainage problems
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By Pamela Permar-Shierling
The City of Brunswick continues to address its storm drainage problems this time in two different areas: the Second Street area and the Fifth Avenue area.
On Wednesday, July 15 the Brunswick City Commission approved a $33,000 agreement with Coleman Company for engineering services and modeling efforts to determine the proposed repair of storm drainage problems in the Second Street Area.
Altama Avenue near Second Street continues to flood due to a lack of storm water infrastructure. Coleman will survey he storm water drainage system in the area bound by Altama, T Street, Norwich St., and Fourth St.
Garrow Alberson, City Public Works Director, told the commission the primary path of the storm water runoff from Altama Avenue to the T Street outfall was taking an indirect route. There are also other problem areas which include disconnected pipes, undersized pipes, inadequate pipe slopes and blockages.
Alberson said each individual problem is not enough to be the sole cause of the ponding issue of Altama Ave. but collectively these issues are probably causing the drainage problem.
Coleman Company will perform engineering field assessments and develop hydraulic modeling of the system. Modeling will help evaluate the problem areas and identify specific improvements to help alleviate the drainage problems.
Another drainage / flooding problem for the city is in the south end of town around Fifth Avenue, south of Highway 341.
The storm water system’s multiple problems include old storm water infrastructure that is failing along with collapsing pipes and settling drainage structures and the area’s low elevation which all allow tidal waters to enter the system at high tide.
During extreme tidal events or storm surge events, the tidal water can spill into neighborhood streets and yards.
While the area is residential it is surrounded by industrial sites including King & Prince Seafood and the Georgia Ports Authority. Liberty Harbor is further to the east and is currently an industrial area as well.
This area was not included in the original 2020 Storm Water Master Plan but was included as part of the University of Georgia Capstone Engineering program in 2025.
A team of senior engineering students reviewed the project area and the existing conditions and designed improvements for the drainage system and to eliminate flooding.
Alberson told the commission the design and engineering package from the Capstone program is almost 60% complete.
A federal grant program has opened up for drainage improvements, flood mitigation, and recovery efforts due to Hurricane Helene, and this area did flood during Hurricane Helene.
The Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant will fund engineering, design and construction of a proposed improvement project if approved.
However the grant requires that a preliminary engineering report be submitted as part of the grant package.
The City Commission approved a $109,200 engineering services agreement with GWES Engineering to provide the preliminary engineering report. $21,200 is due for the preparation of the report and will be paid from SPLOST 2022 storm drainage funds.
The balance, $88,000, sswill be paid by the CDBG-DR grant if it is approved.
