Why do so many creeks in Metro Atlanta have sewer entrances next to creeks? Fish unsafe to eat?

[LovinOutside]

In Cobb at least, there are lots of creeks, but they most all have sewage manholes, taller ones, that run alongside the creek. I know it isn't dumping into the creek unless there is an overflow, and then the water department is supposed to put enzymes in there, but being so close to that pipe, would you eat those fish? Maybe one or two like bream. I figure they put them alongside creeks because those areas are already unbuildable, and they follow them to different treatment plants. I don't know though.

 

[Donal]

Probaly storm drains and system rather than sewage system.

 

[1eyefishing]

Because s(tuff) flows down hill.
I thought it was like that everywhere.
You can't follow the roads with it because the roads go up-and-down hills and over ridges.
The only time it should mingle with the fresh water is when the Creek flows so high that it overflows into the manhole. Then, it has to completely fill the sewer so it runs out of the manhole somewhere else. Most places where this is a probability have raised manhole covers above ground level considerably. Those along the chattahoochie are 6' high or more above ground and that is usually 6' high or more above the level of the river.
Most fishes biological systems can deal with a little pollution instead of putting it into the meat that is eaten. In other words, the meat doesn't have sewage in it.

 

[OwlRNothing]

Logically, I know it's probably safe to eat fish in Atlanta or south of Atlanta most of the time, esp. if you're not eating them every day/week - but my gut (pardon the psuedo-pun) tells me not to risk it. ( not that I fish in Atlanta or south of there much anyway).
Things are much cleaner than they were 50 years ago, but I like my fish to be as free of the chance of pollution or mercury and other crap as possible. I like to eat fish from small ponds not on working farms, when I eat them - or small city or county lakes with no real source of pollution flowing into them. Just me.

 

[jrickman]

My rule for freshwater is: if I wouldn't drink the water after boiling it, I ain't eating the fish that came out of it either.

 

[natureman]

Lake Lanier has a similar situation. Sewer lines and pump stations cross the back of many coves. Spills from ruptured lines and failed pumps at Lanier are legendary.

 

[ryanh487]

Those are storm drains, not sewer drains. It's for rain runoff from the roads.

ETA: totally misread the OP and thought you meant the big culvert pipes that empty into the creeks

 

[Waddams]

I'm a water/sewer engineer by trade. Most of the time, the manholes on lines following creeks are sewer. If it were storm, they'd just dump the storm water into the creek and let the creek flow it away.

The sewers are usually below the creek bed vertically. They are also gravity. Since stuff flows downhill, if the sewers leak, they leak down, not up into the streams where the fish are. Usually. Overflows happen from blockages (don't flush wipes and don't pour grease down the drain, put it all in the trash instead) and/or becoming undersized after upstream development comes in happens. And occasionally, it can leak at one point, flow down a rock trench to a lower point where the stream bed hits the same elevation, and it can pop out there.

The utilities are supposed to publish notifications of overflows when they happen. You might be able to contact the utility and find out if they have overflow histories on the stream section you're concerned about. If they don't, I'd not worry about contamination as like I said above, it will generally flow below the creek bed vertically and being gravity driven, the sewage won't leak up to the creek.

 

[oldfella1962]

This is really interesting! I never really thought about how they manage recreational waters along with runoff & whatnot in urban areas. Some of the lakes where I fish (Fort Gordon) have warnings about eating too many bass too often because of high mercury levels from runoff. Hey, at least we are warned. It's not like Camp LeJeune with the poisoned drinking water issues.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

They are the same way in Sc. There is always leakage and overflow. I hunt on the edge of town where the sewer lines always run near the creek beds. My dogs will not drink the water and I see very few deer tracks in the creek. That tells me all I need to know. I never see little minnows in there either. If you pay attention nature will tell you alot.

 

[Josh B]

You’ll be fine. Growing a 3rd eye should increase your vision. ?

 

[Big7]

I wouldn't eat a fish from metro run off.
No way. They prolly glow at night.

 

[specialk]

they use to have an advisory in the back of the regs every year letting you know how many lbs of fish you could eat a month out of each lake/river....

 

[LovinOutside]

they use to have an advisory in the back of the regs every year letting you know how many lbs of fish you could eat a month out of each lake/river....

They still do. They don't have everything though. They updated it in 2021. It's online as a pdf. I refer to it often. Some of the creeks part of a watershed might or might not be there. They also tell you where they sampled it. There's no way they could do everything, but it's pretty good.

https://epd.georgia.gov/watershed-p...onitoring-program/fish-consumption-guidelines

They have these hardcopy at environmental waste sometimes.

 

[lampern]

Eat the trout

 

[DAVE]

Lake Lanier has some pretty dirty water. The consumption guide list most fish from Lanier as being safe as long as they are under 12 inches. Most species over 12 inches in Lanier have restrictions on how much to eat safely. I know a lot of campers, boaters play in the water there but if they knew how much human and animal fecal particles, pesticides, dead animals and who knows what else is in the water, there would be a lot less diving into it.

 

[Whitefeather]

All creeks and streams have Fecal and E-coli bacteria. It is a naturally occurring event. However, some are indeed worse than others.

 

[campboy]

every body of water I fish is polluted

 

[Semi-Pro]

I'm a water/sewer engineer by trade. Most of the time, the manholes on lines following creeks are sewer. If it were storm, they'd just dump the storm water into the creek and let the creek flow it away.

The sewers are usually below the creek bed vertically. They are also gravity. Since stuff flows downhill, if the sewers leak, they leak down, not up into the streams where the fish are. Usually. Overflows happen from blockages (don't flush wipes and don't pour grease down the drain, put it all in the trash instead) and/or becoming undersized after upstream development comes in happens. And occasionally, it can leak at one point, flow down a rock trench to a lower point where the stream bed hits the same elevation, and it can pop out there.

The utilities are supposed to publish notifications of overflows when they happen. You might be able to contact the utility and find out if they have overflow histories on the stream section you're concerned about. If they don't, I'd not worry about contamination as like I said above, it will generally flow below the creek bed vertically and being gravity driven, the sewage won't leak up to the creek.

This is in theory there have been 51 spill this year herea list of all the waterways affected

 

[Semi-Pro]

RIVER_BASIN WATERWAY_IMPACTED
Ocmulgee Ocmulgee River
Suwannee Hat Creek
Oconee McNutt Creek
Ocmulgee Honey Creek Tributary
Chattahoochee Peachtree Branch Tributary
Chattahoochee Utoy Creek
Altamaha Little Rocky Creek
Coosa Oothcalooga Creek tributary to the Oostanaula
Chattahoochee Sope Creek
Ocmulgee Shoal Creek Tributary
Chattahoochee Long Island Creek
Chattahoochee Peachtree Branch Tributary
Chattahoochee Utoy Creek
Ocmulgee Little Haynes Creek
Ocmulgee South River
Ocmulgee Doolittle Creek Tributary
Suwannee Unnamed Tributary to Little River Basin
Ocmulgee Wolf Creek
Chattahoochee Sandy Creek
Chattahoochee South Fork Creek
Ocmulgee Shoal Creek Tributary
Ocmulgee Snapfinger Creek Tributary D
Chattahoochee North Fork Peachtree Creek Tributary
Ocmulgee Conley Creek
Chattahoochee Nancy Creek Tributary 1
Chattahoochee North Fork Peachtree Creek Tributary 1
Coosa Picketts Mill Creek
Ocmulgee Yellow River Tributary
Flint Castor Creek
Ocmulgee Crooked Creek Tributary
Ocmulgee Shoal Creek
Suwannee unnamed tributary
Ocmulgee Bowman Branch
Suwannee Hat Creek
Suwannee Hat Creek
Chattahoochee Sope Creek
Chattahoochee unnamed tributary of Beaver Ruin Creek
Ogeechee Ditch
Chattahoochee Utoy Creek
Chattahoochee Beaver Ruin
Chattahoochee Crooked Creek
Ocmulgee Doolittle Creek Tributary
Ocmulgee Vineville Branch
Ocmulgee Cobbs Creek Tributary
Ocmulgee Shoal Creek
Ocmulgee Cobbs Creek
Ocmulgee Cobbs Creek Tributary
Chattahoochee Nancy Creek Tributary
Ocmulgee Shoal Creek Tributary