Augusta neighbors still battling flooding, with no long-term fix in sight
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - For residents along Overton Road, flooding is a familiar — and frustrating — part of life.
Each year, heavy rains turn yards into ponds, damage homes and leave neighbors wondering when real solutions will arrive.
The culprit? Clogged and aging storm drains that can’t keep up with the water — and aren’t being prioritized for repair.
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John Utne, who lives along Raes Creek, says the problem is visible right from his backyard.
“The city storm sewer comes to Daylight, and you can see along the fence line — it’s full of debris,” he said.
While his backyard is a designated FEMA flood site, the front yard and street are also prone to flooding.
Backed-up storm drains have caused water to rise several feet, reaching into garages and crawlspaces.
One neighbor has lost more than a foot of ground elevation over the past decade, with erosion exposing tree roots and opening a persistent sinkhole in the front yard — despite multiple attempts to fill it.
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“You could have gone waterskiing down there,” one neighbor joked. “The guy next door has a boat, but I didn’t get out there in time.”
Over the weekend, residents were notified that Richmond County will use FEMA funds to clear fallen trees and debris from Raes Creek — remnants of Hurricane Helene.
But the $10 million cleanup effort does not include repairs to the storm drains.
That omission has left many residents frustrated.
“The two storm sewer drains were clogged up, and the water couldn’t get there and flow down into the creek,” Utne explained.
Dr. Hameed Malik, the head of Augusta’s engineering departmen, said crews are sent out regularly to clean storm drains, though he did not specify how often.
For homeowners on Overton Road, it’s clearly not enough.
Since 2016, the city has collected a stormwater management fee — and at one point, held millions in surplus. It’s unclear whether any of that funding will be used to address the long-standing drainage issues.
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“Where the stormwater comes to daylight and can’t get to the creek — those are the major problems,” Utne said.
For now, residents are left with the same old problems — and still waiting for new solutions.
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