Augusta, GA
I-TEAM: Augusta homeowner questions stormwater fees spending
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta-Richmond County collected more than $15 million in stormwater fees last year.
The fee was supposed to go toward updating the city’s aging infrastructure which has caused drainage problems, sinkholes and flooding.
But some homeowners are wondering if the stormwater fee they pay is lost in a sinkhole itself.
I-TEAM dug into the problem.
Commissioners will be talking about how to spend your tax dollars next year, which will include SPLOST money.
MORE FROM THE I-TEAM:
The interim administrator wants to prioritize infrastructure, but at the same time, the director of engineering says he is short-staffed and needs resources to get the job done.
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle, is a little slice of paradise off Richmond Hill Road.
Liz: “And you got a steal for it?”
Chelsea Thurmond: “Yeah, it’s like under two point five acres.”
At least, for a Carolina country girl.
“I love the city. I do miss home and this is a taste of home,” she said.
Chelsea Thurmond bought the home two years ago knowing she would have to continue the previous owner’s fight with the city.
“I said I don’t care, I will deal with the city not knowing the city would be this stressful and frustrating to deal with,” said Thurmond.
Frustrating because her country paradise is transforming into a sinking island.
“That’s where my partner was cutting grass and literally on the riding lawn mower and next thing you know he is halfway down in the hole,” she said.
A giant sinkhole is swallowing up Thurmond’s yard. And after every heavy rainfall, it gets longer and wider.
The I-TEAM pulled documents from the superior court that show the sinkhole sits in a county easement and drainage pipe.
SEE THE WORK ORDERS:
Thurmond: “It stems from the drain from the main road. That’s where it stems from.”
Liz: “How long have you been here now?”
Thurmond: “Two years.”
Liz: “How long have you been working with the city trying to get something done?”
Thurmond: “Since I bought the place, and the previous homeowners were working with the city as well.”
The previous homeowner emailed the city in 2022 writing: “Have a sinkhole in my front yard. For approximately 14 months, the cause has been a stormwater culvert that spans from Richmond Road across the entire width of the property. The culvert is metal and has rusted out of the bottom. I feel this is a dangerous situation.”
A city worker responded three weeks later writing in the work order: “Unable to locate the box that has the pipe traveling the direction of the sinkhole. The crawler will not go through the pipe due to holes throughout the metal pipe.”
The city writes in another work order five months later: “There is a box located at 158 feet with a cross pipe going towards Richmond Hill Road after 46 feet it turns into metal again and the pipe is ok condition.”
The city patched the pipe with cement the next day.
ANOTHER I-TEAM INVESTIGATION:
“It’s literally one long thing that starts at the road and goes under the driveway and goes over there,” said Thurmond.
Thurmond sent pictures to engineering in June 2023.
“We have another serious issue. The drain was backed up and completely washed out our driveway,” she said.
But the city closed out the work order two days later, writing “Don’t see nothing with the driveway.”
“As you can see it’s getting closer to my shop, and every heavy rain creates a longer part of the trench or spreads outward, and it’s dangerously close to the shop,” she said.
The most recent work order is dated January of this year.
Liz: “Have they closed out work orders? Do you know?”
Thurmond: “Nobody talks to me.”
We checked. The work order is still open six months later.
“It’s terrible. We pay to live here. Why isn’t appropriate action being taken?” asked Thurmond.
Not only does she pay her property taxes, but also stormwater fees that go to capitol projects like replacing and repairing storm pipes.
A work order from December 2020 shows the city used capital funds to replace the pipe, but they only filled in the sinkhole they did not replace the pipe.
The same year, the city spent more than $800,000 on capital projects collected from stormwater fees.
“It’s past frustration. I’m like how you can neglect taxpayers like this because this is clearly not our problem,” said Thurmond.
Our I-TEAM reached out to the director of engineering but have not heard back.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Two Augusta-area Walmarts are among 13 Georgia locations that the retail giant plans to remodel and modernize in 2026.
In the past five years, the company said it has spent $961.5 million to upgrade its stores statewide.
Now, the company plans to change store layouts and services in its Augusta and Grovetown locations to make shopping faster and more convenient.
The locations are the Augusta Walmart Supercenter at 3338 Wrightsboro Road, near Augusta Mall, and the Grovetown Walmart Neighborhood Market at 5303-A Wrightsboro Road, where Wrightsboro and Harlem-Grovetown roads meet.
The Augusta location has been undergoing renovations since last fall.
The stores, when completely renovated, will include updated pharmacies offering vaccines, free delivery and clinical services such as basic health screenings and same-day testing for strep, the flu and COVID-19. Vision Centers also will be redesigned for improved privacy.
Also, computer apps will help customers better navigate stores, scan products’ prices and find exclusive app-only shopping deals.
Augusta, GA – Entered into rest Sunday, April 19, 2026. Mr. James Byron Duncan, 80, was the loving husband of Estelle Mulherin Duncan as well as devoted father, doting grandfather, and lifelong friend to many.
Byron was born and raised in Augusta, GA, the son of W.B. and Kathleen Duncan. After graduating from Butler High School in 1965, Byron’s kind heart called him into Social Work. He earned his Bachelor of Sociology from Augusta College in 1969. After 34 years of dedicated service to the State of Georgia, Byron retired in 2003 as Director of Jefferson County Family and Children Services. He devoted his life wholeheartedly to both service to others and dedication to his family, working in the tough field of social work while remaining a fiercely loving, spirited and unwaveringly passionate man.
His deepest commitments were to his wife, children, granddaughters, siblings, church, the Knights of Columbus and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Byron was deeply rooted in his faith and community. He was an active member of St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church, where he had served as an usher, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and finance committee member. He was also a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, Patrick Walsh Council 677 and Assembly 174, the Irish American Heritage Society and the Rotary Club of Louisville, GA. A true Georgia Bulldog at heart, Byron never missed an opportunity to cheer for his Dawgs, whether they were playing football, basketball, baseball or any other sport. He loved the simple joys of life – days at the beach, Jimmy Buffett, beach music and shagging, and a house full of family and friends. For many years, Byron delighted young and old alike by donning the red suit and playing Santa Claus at various events as well as visiting the classrooms at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic School as St. Nicholas.
Byron possessed the gift of gab! He never met a stranger and could often be observed enthusiastically carrying on a deep conversation with old friends or a stranger he just met on the street. No conversation with him was brief!
Family meant everything to him. He is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Estelle Mulherin Duncan; his children Sean M. Duncan (Jennifer), Matthew M. Duncan and Megan E. Duncan; his bonus daughter, Allison Crow (Joe), and his treasured grandchildren Riley, Emma and Harper Duncan, who brought him endless joy. He is also survived by his brother Keith Duncan; sisters Sheryl Werrick and Marcia Golden; brothers-in-law Dr. Joe Mulherin, Robert Gibson and Tom King; sister-in-law Janet M. Gibson; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 1:00 P.M. at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church with Fr. Mark Ross as celebrant. Interment will follow at Westover Memorial Park. A Rosary service will be held Thursday evening at 6:00 P.M., followed by visitation from 6:30 until 8:00 P.M. at Thomas Poteet & Son.
Memorial contributions may be made to Aquinas High School, 1920 Highland Ave., Augusta, GA 30904 or St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church, 1420 Monte Sano Ave., Augusta, GA 30904 for the Our Faith Our Future Capital Campaign.
Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Road, Augusta, GA 30907, (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at thomaspoteet.com
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Georgia Gubernational candidate Geoff Duncan made another appearance in Augusta on Monday, speaking at the IBEW Local 1579 on Reynolds Street.
Duncan is one of the three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. Duncan said when he served as lieutenant governor of the state, he fought to expand access to health care in rural communities. He said if he’s elected, he’ll focus on lowering costs in other areas.
Duncan stopped by NewsChannel 6 ahead of the campaign stop to speak about his plans.
“Look, 90% of Georgians know what they’re talking about when they want to pass commonsense gun legislation like universal background checks, red flag laws, and in-home safe storage laws. As governor, I want to lead the charge, and I want to give political cover to those Republicans that want to do the right thing, build those consensus around those bills,” Duncan said. “I hope to get some of them the cosign that legislation. Because it meets people where they’re at. It’s common sense. Look, I don’t want anybody to ever walk by a television screen and make another excuse for a mass shooting when it could have been stopped. With just common sense laws that are on the books.”
Photojournalist credit: Regynal McKie
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