DeKalb County will resume reviewing applications to connect to the sewer system after taking time off to ensure compliance with the consent decree.
CEO Mike Thurmond said he told staff to hold off on approving sewer connections for three months while new procedures were developed and reviewed by state and federal regulators. Any inconvenience during that time was a necessary evil because the county has faced so much criticism over its handling of the 2011 agreement struck after numerous sewer spills, the CEO said.
“I hope that it demonstrates our reaffirmed commitment to living up to not just the letter but also the spirit of the consent decree,” Thurmond said.
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DeKalb Commissioner Nancy Jester has accused Thurmond of stymieing development when he implemented the stoppage in December. Jester said Friday that she was happy to hear authorizations were being issued again, although she wants to learn more about the new protocols.
“I look forward to seeing exactly how the sewer capacity is being determined and certified,” she said. “If we are following the regulatory guidance, then it would be fitting that our de facto moratorium is lifted.”
DeKalb’s consent decree is an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division. It requires the county to update and improve its network of sewage pipes and reduce the number of sanitation spills by 2020.
Developers must get permission from the county to connect new buildings to the sewer system, and the consent decree required DeKalb to meet a December deadline for having a professional engineer sign off on these decisions. Thurmond’s staff created written protocols — when he took office in January 2017 there were none — and decided to give the regulators time to provide feedback.
The new procedures require the use of engineering principles, historical data on sewage spills and models that estimate the impact of new developments. If the area is determined to have inadequate sewer capacity, the county can deny the request or force developers to take additional steps like adding holding tanks or paying for upgrades.
“There are the two primary imperatives that you have to balance,” Thurmond said. “One is to protect the environment, and two is to support economic growth.”
Jester said some developers complained to her during the time that DeKalb was not considering these requests. Among them were a hotel planned near Perimeter Mall and a restaurant, she said. She also heard from homeowners who wanted to link to the county system instead of using septic tanks but couldn’t get consideration.
“Nobody is communicating with them about what is going on,” she said of the stoppage.
Companies behind some of DeKalb's biggest projects said they weren't affected during those three months. Representatives for State Farm, which is building two high rises in Dunwoody, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, which is developing a North Druid Hills campus, and The Assembly project in Doraville at the old General Motors plant said sewage capacity is part of their planning and they don't anticipate any issues once they're ready connect.
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