Augusta engineering speaks on sinkhole problems
HEPHZIBAH, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Augusta engineering department is speaking up after sinkhole problems have started to arise in the area.
On a weekly basis, the engineering department tells News 12 they see anywhere from one to two sinkholes.
Due to the safety issues sinkholes cause, they say they do have a process in place to fix it. But, the issues are forming faster than they can get to them.
Due to the old age of the City of Augusta, Dr. Hameed Malik says many of the main water pipes are metal and rusting away.
“A normal metal pipe has a lifespan of 20 years and beyond that it depends on how long we have before it breaks,” said Dr. Malik.
Community living in south Augusta’s Woodlake neighborhood say the recent string of storms is only making issues in the neighborhood worse.
Not only can that be a factor in flooding and sinkhole issues, but if your property is located close to a body of water like Woodlakes neighborhood, then you will have a greater chance of running into some issues.
Dr. Malik says this is the case for many other areas across Augusta but the system can’t be replaced all at once due to cost.
We showed you a yard in Woodlake on Thursday, where the ground looked sturdy to a blind eye, but after Thursday’s storm, the sinkhole is back and more have formed across Augusta.
While you pay a storm fee, the process to fix it isn’t as easy as some may think.
Evelyn Armstrong said: “At the end of the year if you’re collecting $6.20 from every homeowner for stormwater fees, that should amount to quite a lot.”
While the fee is actually 20 cents more, sitting at $6.40, it generates millions for Engineering.
“We collect around $13 million,” said Dr. Malik.
With inflation, Dr. Malik says it isn’t enough to cover every issue.
“Out of that, around 5.5 or 6 million go to the staff who work in that program, then $2 million goes into operations like maintenance equipment,” said Dr. Malik.
It spares a few million for required maintenance.
“A little under $6 million is primarily going to street sweeping and cutting the grass because those are the permanent requirements,” he said.
While he is aware of the pipe problems, he says the issues combined with inflation.
“That’s a lot for us to come up with the resources and just fix them to know like in a month,” said Malik.
The SPLOST funds from the city government don’t roll in until later.
“The city did allocate $20 million in SPLOST 8, which started last year, but most of the money is at the tail end. So it’s just another reason, we can’t get to all this till we get that money,” he said.
It leaves them without any money to fully repair sinkholes around the city.
“Engineering hardly has any funds for repairs so we’re going to keep doing the same thing; we’re going to patch it, make sure it’s safe, and then in 2025, we will pick it up to fix it,” said Malik.
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