(Lawrenceville, Ga., Nov. 17, 2009) - Gwinnett County's Water Resources staff and five on-demand contractors have nearly completed repairs to 25 roads washed out by record flooding in late September. Gwinnett's Stormwater Manager Steve Leo said 20 roads have been reopened and two more will be completed this week. The remaining three road repairs will take a few more weeks. Most recently, North River Drive and Hillcrest Road were reopened last Thursday.

In addition to road, shoulder and utility repairs, the work involves replacing large drainage pipes, most of which were made of corrugated galvanized metal. Many of these pipes failed because the capacity did not exist to handle the extremely high flows of water during the flood. Other contributing factors included both saturated soils that increased runoff and aging infrastructure. Leo said the 25 flood-related repairs are currently estimated at about $6 million and are eligible for reimbursement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Acting Water Resources Director Lynn Smarr said, "We're actively working to replace many miles of rusty old drainage pipes with new concrete pipes but much of this work remains to be done and was not finished when the flood that experts have called an epic storm arrived." The County is tackling the corroding pipes in order of severity with available funding.

Board Chairman Charles Bannister said, "I am proud of the stormwater utility staff and all emergency crews for their hard work, prompt response and diligent service to Gwinnett residents."