Columbia County Engineer Jim Leiper stands outside an 80-inch pipe that goes under The Pass on the Wynngate tributary to Reed Creek. The creek is thecounty's No. 1 stormwater menace, prompting a multimillion dollar proposal to alleviate flooding. JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF

County plans stormwater fee

Web posted November 7, 1999

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By Jason B. Smith
Columbia County Bureau

Reed Creek begins inauspiciously enough: Its source is a fenced-in retention pond that has more white sand and clay than water.

``This is it,'' said Columbia County Engineer Jim Leiper, standing on an outlet structure in the middle of the retention pond on Day Road off Flowing Wells Road. ``Not so bad, huh?''

But Mr. Leiper knows how bad Reed Creek can be. He has seen it eat away at back yards and swallow roadways. And now the creek is hungry for dollars -- more than $21 million, according to a consultant's 1997 study.

Simply put, Reed Creek is Columbia County's No. 1 stormwater menace. Most rainfall between Bobby Jones Expressway and Belair Road filters into the creek, as does runoff from subdivisions along Stevens Creek, Evans to Locks and Fury's Ferry roads.

``There's just a whole lot of work in Columbia County that needs to be done,'' said County Commissioner Frank Spears. ``There is just not enough money available to handle all these things.''

To deal with stormwater damage along Reed Creek and other areas, county officials hope to implement a stormwater utility early next year. The county commission will have to approve a fee structure later this year before bills can be sent to property owners.

Under the utility, the monthly charge would be based on the size of the house. For example, a 2,000-square-foot home would be charged less than a 5,000-square-foot home. Mr. Leiper said officials still are working on the rate structure, so he did not know how much the average household would pay. Under the initial utility plan, the typical household would have paid $3.50 per month -- $42 per year.

Businesses will be assessed at $45 per acre of impervious surface -- anything water does not seep into.

Reed Creek flows through a narrow channel past Columbia County's wastewater treatment plant before emptying into the Augusta Canal. JIM BLAYLOCK/STAFF

Under those charges, the utility would generate more than $1.5 million the first year, Mr. Leiper said. The utility fee most likely would be attached to water and sewer bills of residents in the Martinez Fire Department service area. County officials must create a master address list of the area, which will be ready by the end of the year, Mr. Leiper said.

Once the utility fee begins, it will take 20 years to get a handle on Reed Creek, Mr. Leiper said.

``We've got a lot of catching up to do,'' he said.

Humble beginnings

The Reed Creek watershed encompasses more than 10,000 acres. From its retention pond source, the creek flows through a series of ponds along Day Road before moving into Spring Lakes subdivision. Eventually, the creek quietly empties into the subdivision's main lake.

``There is not that much feeding Reed Creek at that point,'' Mr. Leiper said, adding that the creek does little damage in the subdivision: ``The water level fluctuations aren't that great.''

Out of the lake and down the concrete spillway, Reed Creek crosses under Columbia Road before fanning out through woods behind the Kroger shopping center.

``This has a lot to do with it,'' the engineer said, pointing to two shopping centers on Flowing Wells Road. ``Pavement to the left, pavement to the right.''

And nowhere for the water to go.

To this point, the creek has threatened little property. But all that changes just north of Washington Road. There Reed Creek combines with Mystery Creek, just across the road from the Club Car plant.

Mystery Creek, which begins north of Columbia Road and runs through Holiday Park subdivision, is all too familiar to Toye Watts. He has been fighting the creek since 1993, when he almost lost a willow tree in his back yard. Now the creek is threatening his pool.

Joey Milton, 12, rides his bike along Reed Creek, where the creek is causing severe erosion problems for residents along Bristol Road.

Mr. Watts' Ashley Circle property is in a sharp bend of Mystery Creek. Water slams into the bank, which has been reinforced with riprap, crossties, old Christmas trees and other debris.

``This is the worst right here,'' Mr. Leiper said, referring to erosion.

County commissioners recently implemented a stream bank stabilization program, which funnels money into shoring up property threatened by erosion. Eventually, the program will be funded by stormwater utility dollars. For now, the county is paying for the planning of specific projects out of pocket. Mr. Watts' back yard is one of them.

Getting worse

Where Mystery Creek and Reed Creek meet, the real problems begin.

``When you combine those basins, you're talking about a substantial amount of property draining into that area,'' Mr. Leiper said.

Reed Creek then flows under Washington Road, past the railroad tracks that were washed away in the 1990 flood, and into Mullins Pond. County officials are considering buying the pond and dedicating it to stormwater control. They also could turn some of the land surrounding the pond into a park -- but all that is months, maybe years, down the road.

On the banks of the pond, an apartment complex is going up.

``That's a nice addition to the tax base, but it's also going to tax the infrastructure around here pretty good,'' Mr. Leiper said.

After Old Evans Road, the complexion of Reed Creek changes. Its channel is mainly through residential areas, where homes and yards only get in the way of the water.

Click on graph to view a larger version. STAFF

The first bottleneck -- as Mr. Leiper calls it -- is in Pam Savage's back yard on Bristol Road. The creek has cut a corner off her yard, dropping a large tree and threatening several others.

``She's lost a substantial amount of property,'' the county engineer said. ``The water just cuts right under the roots.''

Repair work there could cost $375,000 -- another project for the stormwater utility.

After crossing under Blue Ridge Drive, the creek flows by the Lakeside schools before entering the Forest Creek area. Here, local officials are asking for federal help in purchasing 12 homes along the creek that are chronically flooded.

``The damage there is a lot compared to the value of the homes,'' Mr. Leiper said.

Consultants recommended more than $7 million in retention ponds around the subdivision to control stormwater flow. Mr. Leiper said that might be a little excessive, especially when spending less than $2 million to purchase the homes would help.

First things first

Past Forest Creek, Reed Creek hits West Lake, where the creek has partly filled one of the subdivision's ponds with silt.

From there, Reed Creek runs under -- and sometimes over -- Stevens Creek Road. The Reed Creek bridge is one of the most flood-prone spots in the county. Less than 10 inches of rain can flood the bridge, leading to long detours for residents.

A fix for the Stevens Creek bridge may be on the way. Earlier this year, the county received a $159,000 grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, which is distributing nearly $30 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.

The money will be used for the engineering of the project, which will raise nearly 700 feet of the roadway.

Proceeds from the grant also will be used to plan the cleanup of a 4,500-foot diversion canal, which is currently filled with silt from years of runoff. The canal directs water past the county's Reed Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and into Augusta Canal at a waterfall a couple of hundred yards south of Savannah Rapids Pavilion.

``It really is beautiful down here,'' said John Morgan, Columbia County's manager of construction and inspections.

But behind the beauty is a choke point that backs water up for more than a mile along the creek. County officials hope to dig the canal out to allow water to flow more freely.

``I really believe that's the first move in correcting a lot of our problems along Reed Creek,'' said county commission Chairman Jim Whitehead.

Even with $21 million in recommended projects facing local officials during the next two decades, however, Reed Creek is just the beginning.

The Reed Creek watershed is a quarter of the size of Uchee Creek's -- which covers land from Harlem to the Savannah River. It also encompasses the areas of the county poised for the next waves of growth. That concerns Mr. Leiper.

``I don't know that our problems will necessarily be multiplied by four,'' he said, ``because we have some stormwater controls going to the watershed development, whereas we didn't with Reed Creek.''

Reach Jason B. Smith at (706) 868-1222, Ext. 115, or jbsmith@augustachronicle.com.