DeKalb details 10 trunk-sewer projects under consent decree; Shaw Creek Section 1 awarded for $51 million

DeKalb County's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee on March 26 received a detailed Capital Improvement Program update focused on sewer-collection system fixes required by the county's consent decree.

Maria Howser, Director, introduced the 10-project trunk sewer program that together represents roughly 29 miles of gravity sewer (pipe sizes from about 8 inches up to 72 inches). Brad Clickley of Jacobs Engineering summarized small-diameter sewer assessment/rehabilitation activity, saying the county has assessed about 80% of the collection system and completed 42 capacity-related projects since 2019 that replaced roughly 34 miles of sewer and removed more than 32 repeat overflow locations.

Aaliyah Johnson, Engineering Manager, detailed the trunk projects and schedule. The Shaw Creek trunk (about 13 miles) is broken into multiple sections; Section 1 (approximately 20,000 ft of 72" pipe near Snapfinger plant up to the intersection near Panthersville/Boring Road) has a notice to proceed awarded in March to a contractor (identified in the hearing as John Den) for about $51 million and is scheduled to complete in roughly three years (mid-2029) with early-completion incentives tied to community impacts.

Construction and permits

Johnson described permitting and easement challenges: trenches and tie-ins cross interstate rights-of-way (GDOT permits), wetland/floodplain and stream-buffer areas (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Georgia EPD permitting and variances), and privately owned properties where easements must be acquired. To limit sanitary sewer overflows during construction, the county will build parallel trunk sections and diversion connections that capture overflow during wet-weather spikes and then return flow to the existing system when demand recedes; county crews will use telemetry and portable bypass pumping to manage the temporary sections.

Community outreach and environmental measures

Each trunk project will have its own web page, project email and a virtual meeting room with 3-D tours and a flyover video. Johnson said the county is coordinating public meetings during design and again before construction. Commissioners asked about tree replacement and trails: staff said tree replacement will be handled case by case (often planting outside the active easement) and that using trunk easements for future multi-use trails is a possibility to be studied later, subject to easement language, O&M responsibilities and city ordinances.

Attribution and next steps

Speakers quoted or paraphrased in this article include Maria Howser (Director), Brad Clickley (Jacobs Engineering) and Aaliyah Johnson (Engineering Manager). The committee did not take any vote that changes the consent decree at this meeting; it approved routine procurement items later in the agenda. Staff said most trunk designs are complete and many projects are moving through permitting and easement acquisition toward construction sequencing.

What happens next: Shaw Creek Section 1 is under construction; the county will continue permitting and easement acquisitions for remaining sections and sustain public outreach and permitting coordination through construction. Staff indicated early-construction measures are already in permitting and that several early measures are expected to be completed by the end of the next year.