Sanitary Sewer Overflow at Academy Creek in Brunswick – August 5, 2025

The Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water & Sewer Commission, NPDES Permit GA0025313, in accordance with permit requirements, makes public notice of a sanitary sewer overflow that occurred on August 5, 2025 into the Academy Creek.

Date of Spill: 8/5/2025

Time: 9:12 PM

Location of Spill: 2909 Newcastle Street

Cause of Spill: The overflow was primarily caused by a failure of the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, which resulted in a loss of visibility and control at the headworks. This failure delayed the activation of critical pumping systems and prevented timely detection of rising wet well levels.
Compounding the issue, the analog alarm system located at the headworks—designed to alert the operations building in the event of high-water levels—was non-functional at the time of the incident. Had this alarm been operational, it would have provided early warning and likely prevented the wet well from flooding above floor level.
Additionally, the two overhead monitors in the operations building, which are intended to provide continuous visual monitoring of the wet well, were also not functioning. These monitors would have clearly indicated the SCADA outage and allowed for immediate corrective action.
The simultaneous failure of these critical monitoring and alert systems significantly contributed to the delayed response and the resulting overflow.

Estimated Volume of Discharge: Approximately 2,000 gallons

Discharged: Manhole into a storm drain

Corrective Action Taken:

– Manual activation of pumps to reduce wet well levels
– Debris washdown at the headworks
– Inspection of affected areas
– Coordination among operators for containment and response
– Restoration of SCADA system
– Bypass gate raised to reduce overflow Vac-Con Cleanup (see Photos 10 for visual reference).

Contact for Any Additional Information:

Angela Walker, Assistant Director of Wastewater Operations
Brunswick-Glynn Joint Water & Sewer Commission
Phone Number: 912-217-1111
Email: awalker@bgjwsc.org