(Lawrenceville, Ga., Sept. 21, 2009) - Flooding has topped the electrical motor controls for the pump station that takes in untreated wastewater at Gwinnett County's Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility near Lilburn, keeping the plant from treating wastewater until the water recedes. In the meantime, the Department of Water Resources is diverting as much of the wastewater as possible to other facilities," according to Acting Director Lynn Smarr.

Smarr said, "The Yellow River has exceeded the 100-year flood elevation where the pump station's elevation was set, putting the plant out of service for the time being. We do not anticipate any environmental harm of consequence because the high river flow will heavily dilute any spills if they happen."

Officials hope the rain will end soon to begin the recovery process. "A few pump stations also were inundated and workers are trying to get them back on line as soon as water in the streams near the flooded pump stations recedes," said Smarr.

The Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility takes in wastewater flows from Lawrenceville, Norcross and areas in between generally from about Buford Highway south.