As the city collects stormwater fees, what’s the status of ongoing issues?

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - As we watch the storm spin its way north, some in Richmond County are worried about flooding.

Parts of the city have been prone to flooding for years, but the stormwater fee put in place in 2016 was supposed to help with that.

Here’s a look at the progress and those still waiting.

Residents and businesses are hoping their money is going to good use. Especially businesses like Manny’s Off Broad where owners say they experience flooding right at their front door.

“You get almost a foot of flooding, and it’s happened continuously for as long as I’ve been in this building,” said Manny Hatzis, owner.

In 2021, the city of Augusta paid more than $4.6 million of the stormwater fees to on-call drainage contractors, another $4.3 for personnel, and nearly $2 million for operations.

While they say flooding can’t be stopped completely, they are working to minimize the risk, project by project.

Hameed Malik is the director of Augusta engineering. He said, “If somebody has an ongoing issue, they let us know so that we can at least do some assessment and come up with a plan.”

Areas downtown, like the intersection of 10th Street and Ellis Street, experience deep flooding when it rains, causing a huge inconvenience.

Hatzis said: “It does kinda scare people too, because they have to drive through it, and you don’t know where and how deep the water is at the time.”

Officials in Augusta say the maintenance and repair for areas that experience this flooding will take time, but they are actively working on it.

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