WTOC, Savannah, Georgia, news, weather and sports | A smelly situation in Garden City
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By Christy Hutchings - bio | email
GARDEN CITY, GA (WTOC) - Monday there was a dark cloud forming in the water coming from a drainage pipe at Horseshoe Canal. Folks who saw it were upset.
"If it was somewhere like, Skidaway Island, downtown people would be jumping up and down getting it fixed," said Nancy Tyson of Garden City.
Tyson says this problem has been going on for a while. She says the water outside her home is cloudier and the wildlife she used to see is gone.
She says the dark cloud at Horseshoe Canal explains it all. It feeds right into Salt Creek where she lives. "You can't catch a fish out there. I don't let my grand children out there anymore. Something just needs to be done about it," said Tyson.
Garden City agrees. Police Chief David Lyons, who's filling in as the city administrator this week, says Garden City has been working to fix this problem. In fact he says the city found it.
"Our public works guy was out doing surveys looking for drainage problems and what not and came upon this back in May," said Lyons.
Lyons says they immediately contacted the Environmental Protection Division, the Health Department, and the county. Garden City was told the state would handle the problem.
"Several weeks went by and nothing was taking place so we, on our own, ordered some independent tests from a lab. They have been taken and the results are back, not very pretty," said Lyons.
The tests showed that the water had high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. The tests did not pinpoint where the bacteria was coming from.
The city believes Nassau Woods trailer park could be to blame and so does Tyson. "Where the bad stuff starts is where their drain pipe comes out. The other side of it is not like it," Tyson told WTOC.
Lyons said, "Our city attorney has drafted a letter and sent it to the ownership of this large mobile home park back here that may or may not be the main discharge of this problem, but we think it is. That's being disputed as we speak."
The EPD says they've checked out how Nassau Woods is disposing of their waste and that they are in compliance. EPD says they'll check it again tomorrow, but they do not feel Nassau Woods is to blame.
Garden City isn't buying it and have already sent off for a second set of tests so this mess can get cleared up sooner than later.
The results from the second round of tests should be in tomorrow. Lyons says if they're the same or worse the city will take this matter to the courts.
We were not able to reach the owners of Nassau Woods trailer park.
We'll let you know what happens next.
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