Tybee City Council receives update on sewage spills

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The City of Tybee Island is addressing stormwater and sewer issues after recent sewage spills on the island. Thursday night Tybee City Council heard a presentation on the best way to address the city’s pipe problems.

City Manager Bret Bell says sewage spills are on the rise from Savannah to Brunswick due to aging infrastructure. Bell says some water and sewer lines are nearly 100 years old in some Tybee neighborhoods. Tybee’s aging infrastructure is now working overtime due to recent rain events that dumped massive amounts of rainwater in a short time. On August 9th, the city reported 5.6 inches of rain in one storm event.

Bell says the city is working on a map to pinpoint all inflow issues. Tybee is also working with sewer jetting company PKX to clear sand and debris from its lines. PKX is systematically cleaning sanitary sewer lines and unclogging drains with 5,000-gallon high-pressure jet vac trucks on the south end of Tybee. PKX will then use robotic cameras to televise lines. Cameras should capture any defects and infrastructure issues.

A company will also respond to various sink holes across the island, repair any defects that led to the depressions, and backfilled with gravel and dirt.