Augusta, GA
I-TEAM UPDATE: Concerns continue about use of Augusta’s stormwater fees
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – City leaders say in a matter of weeks, they will replace a pipe causing sinkholes around an Augusta woman’s yard.
The homeowner has been fighting for years to get the city to fix the problem like many others paying a stormwater fee.
This is one of more than a dozen projects the city lists on its website under stormwater fees.
If you are a downtown commuter like most, then you’ve probably been caught up in stalled traffic at the some intersections.
Outside of downtown, homeowners are frustrated by years’ worth of stalled projects impacting their property.
The sinkhole grows larger, and patience grows shorter.
MORE STORMWATER PROBLEMS:
“It expanded two inches towards the shop,” said Chelsea Thurmond. “I finally started going out there and measuring now.”
News 12 met Thurmond a month ago — four years into her battle with the city of Augusta.
“The trench is what I now call it,” said Thurmond.
A war trench of sorts in the middle of no man’s land.
A city drainage pipe runs from the street through her property, straight to the sinkhole.
“We were told we would get answers but never heard from anybody. As taxpayers, I don’t feel like we need to harass the city to get something done,” she said.
But after years of patchwork jobs, there are still no real answers.
“I’ve tried calling and I haven’t heard from anybody,” said Thurmond.
The same week we first told you her story, engineering sent a crew to her house.
“They came and dug around a few places sprayed some red paint on the ground over there and dug right into our water line and busted that,” she said.
In an email, the director of engineering says he transitioned the project to a small capital project and his construction staff is “getting a fee proposal from our on-call contractor in the next few weeks they will schedule work.”
A work order from 2020 was also approved as a capital project, but city workers handled it, not a contractor. By handling, they filled in the sinkhole at the time, not replacing the storm pipe.
The director of engineering says the storm system is aging and there are multiple failures across the county. At that time in 2020, he had members of his team leave for other jobs.
“If the outdated infrastructure is any indication, I am almost positive I am not the only person with the same infrastructure issue around the city,” said Thurmond.
MORE FROM THE I-TEAM:
“Every time it rains, we end up with a hole in the yard. The more it rains, the bigger it gets,” she said.
Years of complaints and findings from an auditor in February do not add up.
Emails the I-TEAM received on Friday show the on-call contractor quote to fix the sinkhole at $170,000.
“I highly doubt it would have been that expensive. Instead of doing it all at one time when the issue arose so many years ago, they could have easily done that instead of choosing to waste taxpayers’ money by putting dirt in the hole. I could have put dirt in a hole,” said Thurmond.
Commissioners are working on a list of projects to dedicate $300 million in SPLOST funds next year, which is a separate fund from the stormwater fee.
The administrator wants the focus of the funds to go to infrastructure, but some elected officials are considering spending the money on a water park.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
The median price of homes sold in Richmond County in March 2026 averaged about $225,000, according to Realtor.com. That’s a $10,000 bump up from December 2025.
The following houses are not those houses. This top-five list shows the highest asking prices for Richmond County homes listed for sale on Realtor.com.
These are not cookie-cutter McMansions. Each home possesses a style you can make your own.
54 Conifer Cir.
Price: $1.799 million
Specs: 5 beds, 5.5 baths, 6,584 square feet
This home even has a grand scale. When you think “spare room,” you think about someplace small. Not here. The four upstairs bedrooms could each be mistaken for a master suite in practically any other house. That’s an especially desirable feature for a home that fetches $50,000 as a Masters Tournament rental.
Brokered by Meybohm Realty
4756 Mike Padgett Hwy.
Price: $1.75 million
Specs: 5 beds, 4 baths, 4,800 square feet
This home even has outdoor appeal. If the guest cottage, boat dock, pavilion, barn, and half-mile-long driveway aren’t enough, there’s plenty of wildlife-managed acreage left over for a thriving deer habitat. The massive pond behind the house adds to the recreational appeal.
Brokered by Leading Edge Real Estate
5 Prather Woods Lane
Price: $1.699 million
Specs: 6 beds, 5.5 baths, 6,283 square feet
This home even has next-level living. When this impressive colonial was being built in 1969, the designers thought: Why stop at two floors? The third floor contains the house’s fifth and sixth bedrooms, but if you’re the new owner, you can make the rooms whatever you like. A fully renovated kitchen only enhances the home’s elegance.
Brokered by Meybohm Realty
4152 Big Oak Dr., Hephzibah
Price: $1.07 million
Specs: 6 beds, 6.5 baths, 5,500 square feet
This home even has room for the next generation. Bring the grandparents and the grandchildren together under one massive roof. There’s room inside with six bedrooms that include a private mother-in-law suite. There’s room outside on 38 acres that include six spring-fed ponds jumping with catfish, bass, and bream. Or split the difference and relax on one of the two covered porches affording breathtaking rural views.
Brokered by Blanchard & Calhoun
2563 Central Ave.
Price: $985,000
Specs: 6 beds, 5 baths, 4,000 square feet
This home even has a coveted Summerville address. Move to one of the city’s most walkable neighborhoods and live around the corner from Augusta University, the shops on Monte Sano Avenue, and Daniel Village. The dignified brick home was built in 1940 and has aged gracefully. The sale even includes a rented rear duplex generating $2,000 a month.
Brokered by Engel & Volkers
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the community’s help in searching for 20-year-old Tydarius James.
According to officials, James is wanted for an aggravated assault that occurred on May 1, near the intersection of Glenn Hill Drive and Breeze Hill Drive.
Anyone with information concerning Tydarius James is urged to contact the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office at 706-821-1034 or 706-821-1020.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – An organization celebrated Cinco de Mayo ahead of Tuesday’s holiday with a festival Saturday on Madeline Drive.
The West Augusta Six Geter Foundation held its Flavor Street Festival Latin Edition, featuring food including empanadas, nachos, fajitas and desserts.
“We decided to do a rendition for our Latin brothers and sisters Latin fiesta to bring in the Cinco de Mayo holiday, that’s very important to them as well as the community,” said Patricia Geter, West Augusta Six Geter Foundation and community activist. “Each month we hold the street fest to acknowledge different types of cuisines, cultures, and we are hoping to have a car show in the fall for our festival.”
Geter said the organization holds street festivals every first Saturday of the month.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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