Flooding a concern at City Council meeting

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Hayward Fowler is shown being sworn in by Tifton Mayor Jamie Cater to the Keep Tift Beautiful Board at Monday night’s regular Tifton City Council meeting. Latasha Everson

February 5, 2013

Flooding a concern at City Council meeting

Latasha Everson CNHI The Tifton Gazette Tue Feb 05, 2013, 09:38 PM EST

TIFTON — A concerned citizen discussed the flooding issue in Tift County at Monday night’s regular Tifton City Council meeting.

During citizen input, local man Jack Abbott specifically addressed the New River channel, which runs from northeast Tifton to Lower Brookfield Road. Although the channel is located in the county, Abbott told The Gazette that he wanted to inform the council because it also affects the city.

“It’s a matter of blockage below the channel,” he said, adding that the problem could possibly be beavers.

He stated that he had already discussed the issue with the county. However, he said his reasoning behind attending the city council meeting was to alert others that the water level in the canal is a “little bit” higher than it normally should be.

Abbott explained that the canal was finished in 1980. A year later, he said, the wastewater treatment plant went online and put in about three and a half million gallons of water a day.

Before the channel was dredged, it was a common thing to have flooding on the east side of Tifton, he stated.

Abbott said within two years, the water level has increased six feet or higher. He commented that the flooding in Tifton that occurred in early August of 2012 didn’t have to be as bad as it was.

“The water level is too high,” he said about the canal, noting that if there’s ever another flood situation, the added water will agitate the situation even more.

Abbott says he lives in the area of Highway 82 and Lower Brookfield Road. Although he wasn’t affected by the 2012 flood, he stated that he knows a lot of people who were.

He explained that the following issues develop due to high water levels: flooding, a loss of productive land, loss of timber, stagnant water, mosquitos, etc.

He noted that back in the mid-1970s, Tifton had some flooding issues and the city and county got together to solve the channeling problem.

Tifton Mayor Jamie Cater told Abbott that the city is working on putting in culverts. He also advised Abbott to speak with the county concerning the flooding issue.

Also, during the meeting, Hayward Fowler of the local Fun Channel network was sworn in by Cater to the Keep Tift Beautiful Board.

More on the city meeting will be provided in an upcoming article.

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Flooding a concern at City Council meeting

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