Brookhaven stormwater infrastructure improves in 2020

Above: Crews complete an overhaul of stormwater infrastructure at Inman Drive and Saybrook Drive in March 2020, replacing multiple smaller drainpipes with a single 36” culvert.  Below left: The stormwater issue before the upgrades.

Brookhaven, GA, Feb. 3, 2021 – The City of Brookhaven accomplished several important stormwater projects throughout 2020, despite ongoing complications from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Stormwater management is one of the most important responsibilities of local government, and probably one of the least visible when it isn’t raining,” said Mayor John Ernst.  “We have made enormous progress in eight years of cityhood, especially last year, but we also have much more work ahead.”

The City of Brookhaven Public Works Department is outsourced to Lowe Engineers, which has effectively overseen stormwater utility operations since incorporation of the City. This partnership has allowed Brookhaven to continually meet or exceed the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements, and reliably meet all deadlines for completing Annual MS4 Reports to Georgia’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

Brookhaven’s aggressive approach to the completion of Priority 1 and Priority 2 repair work derived from annual MS4 inspections has made the City singular in its stormwater infrastructure repair and maintenance—an achievement Georgia EPD staff have pointed out in past MS4 reviews.

Brookhaven stormwater projects completed last year include:

“The Public Works Department completed 347 work orders related to stormwater issues last year, which underscores the ongoing demand for proactive stormwater management,” said Public Works Director Hari Karikaran. “In order to succeed we must adjust and adapt to changing priorities as circumstances warrant. We have to work efficiently in order to maximize a limited amount of infrastructure funds.”

While 2020 was a busy year for Brookhaven, it was only a prelude to the work ahead in 2021.  This year, the Brookhaven Public Works Department will undertake the following:

• Improve the work management system and performance measures for maintenance operations
• Added second crew to handle stormwater related work orders
• Continue implementation of the long-term capital improvement program for stormwater
• Continue coordination of the stormwater utility with adjoining municipalities that share watersheds
• Continue to address water quality in impaired streams
   

“One of our most important priorities this year will be to coordinate the repairs and upgrades of old stormwater culverts in advance of scheduled road repaving work. We can stretch our funding by not paving the same road twice,” said Karikaran.

“We inherited a crumbling infrastructure when we became a City in December 2012,” said Mayor Ernst.  “In order to keep making progress, we need to continue to find innovative, cost-effective, and long-term solutions to address the city’s aging infrastructure needs.”

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