About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2020)
8A Weekend Edition - August 22-23, 2020 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com LOCAL City reports sewer spill in Squirrel Creek The Gainesville Department of Water Resources has reported a sewer spill into Squirrel Creek, a tributary of Lake Lanier. At about 7:25 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, a pipe burst at a Gainesville wastewater lift station, according to a city news release. Maintenance staff turned the pump off remotely at about 7:45 p.m. and went to the area. The water resource depart ment estimates the overflow occurred for about 20 minutes. The station returned to normal operation by about 1 0 p.m. The city estimates that about half of the spill was contained on the site and the other half, about 14,000 gallons, went into the creek. Squirrel Creek is located near Thompson Bridge Road, north of Gainesville. The area of the spill was assessed at about midnight, and testing was done late Tuesday and again on Wednesday. Brian Wiley, environmental ser vices manager with Gainesville Water Resources, said staff looked at a few water quality measures upstream and downstream from the site. Dissolved oxygen levels of five milligrams per liter or more are ideal, Wiley said. He said on Tuesday, the levels upstream of the site were 6.44 milligrams per liter, while the level upstream was 6.25 milli grams per liter Wednesday. Downstream, the level was 4.69 milligrams per liter Tuesday and 6.9 milligrams per liter Wednesday. Staff also looked at pH levels of the water, with the goal of a pH level between six and eight, Wiley said. The level was 7.1 upstream on Tuesday and 6.76 on Wednesday. Downstream, the level was 6.87 Tuesday and 7 on Wednesday. Temperature is another indicator that was checked. Wastewater is warmer than stream water, Wiley said. Upstream, the temperature was 69 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday and 68 degrees Wednesday. Downstream, the temperature was 71 degrees Tuesday and about 67 degrees Wednesday. Wiley said those tempera tures are typical for rural, shaded streams in this weather. Wiley said aquatic life, including min nows and salamanders, were found alive in the water. Fecal coliform bacteria levels upstream were 560 units per 100 mil liliters on Wednesday and 320 units per 100 milliliters on Thursday, Wiley said. Downstream, the results were 7,207 units per 100 milliliters on Wednesday and 330 units per 100 milliliters Thursday, Wiley said. He said in free-flowing streams not designated for recreational use, results of about 500 units per 100 milliliters are what to look for, if weather has been dry for 48 hours. He said the results indicate the stream was able to recover quickly. The lift station where the pipe burst is about 25 to 30 yards from the creek, he said. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division was notified late Tuesday and updated on Wednesday morning, accord ing to the news release. Gainesville Water Resources will test the affected waters for the next 12 months, as required by the state, to moni tor water quality. Megan Reed Squirrel Creek downstream of the sewer spill reported by the Gainesville Department of Water Resources. Photo courtesy Brian Wiley Hall libraries, except Gainesville, to reopen Aug. 24 Hall County libraries, with the exception of the Gainesville branch, will reopen Mon day, Aug. 24 with some changes to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “With schools resuming, we feel the services and resources provided by the Hall County Library System are more cru cial than ever,” Hall County Library Sys tem Director Lisa MacKinney said in a statement. The Gainesville branch will remain closed as the library system prepares to reopen in the newly renovated space downtown. The Gainesville branch will be open for curbside pickup from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Library programming will only be avail able virtually. Some furniture will be marked off to promote social distancing, and computer areas will also be arranged to encourage distancing. People will be encouraged to go to libraries in one-hour increments so branches do not get too crowded. Meeting rooms and study rooms will be closed, and in-person services, such as notary and passport applications, will be available by appointment only. Library employees will be required to wear masks, while masks will be encouraged for patrons. Some library resources, including ebooks and Tutor.com, a free tutoring service, are available through the library website. Free WiFi is available in parking lots of the librar ies, MacKinney said. All branches will also have some hours available for curbside pickup: Gainesville Closed, open for curbside appointments from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday Blackshear Place Monday: Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday: Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday: Closed, curbside appointments from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., curbside appointments from 9 to 10 a.m. Spout Springs Monday: Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday: Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday: Closed, curbside appointments from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., curbside appointments from 9 to 10 a.m. North Hall Technology Center Monday: Open from noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday: Open from noon to 7 p.m. Friday: Closed, curbside appointments from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Open from 2 to 5 p.m., curbside appointments from 2 to 5 p.m. Murrayville Monday: Open from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday: Open from noon to 8 p.m. Friday: Closed, curbside appointments from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday: Open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Megan Reed Portion of Banks Street to close for pond project Banks Street between Gordon Avenue and Grove Street in Gainesville will be closed to traffic Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Friday, Aug. 28 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to Gainesville Water Resources. The closure is part of a project to build a pond along the Midtown Greenway. Megan Reed Property tax appeal deadline extended to Aug. 27 The deadline for property tax appeals has been extended through Thursday, Aug. 27. In a bulletin issued to counties Aug. 17, the Georgia Department of Revenue said the extension had been granted in light of COVID-19 and a Georgia Supreme Court emergency order that extends deadlines for some tax appeals. Appeals for 2020 will be accepted elec tronically or by mail. Hall County has a guide for filing appeals on its website. To file a permanent appeal online for real property, property owners can look up their property at qpublic.net/ga/hall, which is also listed in the top right corner of assess ment notices. Property owners can look up their property using the account number or property ID found on their assessment notice, then click “Appeal to Board of Asses sors” under “Assessment Appeals Process.” To file a temporary appeal for just 2020 for real or personal property, property owners can use the PT-311A form available on the county website. That form can be emailed to assessor@hallcounty.org, faxed to 770-531- 3968 or dropped in the Hall County Tax Com missioner’s Office dropbox outside the Hall County Government Center at 2875 Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville. Appeals should be signed with the date of the appeal. Appeals can also be mailed to Hall County Board of Assessors, P.O. Box 2895, Gainesville, GA, 30503. For more information, call 770-531-6720 or email assessor@hallcounty.org. Megan Reed The Times is proud to present our 2020 High School Football Kickoff Schedule, each publication starting on Aug. 22 and ending on Sept. 9 will highlight our local teams. Make sure to check back with us each week to hear about your favorite teams! PUBLICATION COVERAGE SCHEDULE Aug. 22: Gainesville and Lanier Christian Aug. 26: Johnson and Flowery Branch Aug. 29: Cherokee Bluff and North Hall Sep. 2:West Hall and Lakeview Academy Sep. 9: Chestatee and East Hall This sports coverage Northeast Georgia sponsored by Health System She Sfmcs gainesvilletimes.com
