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. 

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