DeKalb County officials are encouraging residents to refrain from dumping cooking byproducts down the drain, citing the negative impacts butter and grease have on the sewer system.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Tuesday reported there have been 871 raw sewage spills in the county over the past five years, and grease was identified as a factor in seven out of every 10 spills.
The Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 ordered the county to spend $700 million on sewer upgrades. The county is now working on a $1.35 billion upgrade to its sewer system, which is expected to take eight years to complete.
Since beginning a community outreach effort on the issue, the county has seen a 38% drop through October in the number of sewage spills since last year.
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Sunday, May 19 2013 2:00 PM EDT2013-05-19 18:00:39 GMT
President Barack Obama addressed a crowd of soggy graduates and guests at Morehouse College's spring commencement ceremony on Sunday.
President Barack Obama addressed a crowd of soggy graduates and guests at Morehouse College's spring commencement ceremony on Sunday, telling graduates to take the power of their example-- as black men graduating from college-- and use it to improve people's lives.
Sunday, May 19 2013 1:53 PM EDT2013-05-19 17:53:40 GMT
President Barack Obama addressed graduates at Morehouse College's commencement ceremony in Atlanta on Sunday.
President Barack Obama addressed graduates at Morehouse College's commencement ceremony in Atlanta on Sunday, marking the first time a sitting president has made a commencement address in Georgia since 1938. See photos from his visit to Atlanta here!
Saturday, May 18 2013 10:09 PM EDT2013-05-19 02:09:05 GMT
They say you can't win if you don't play, and thousands of people are. The jackpot for Saturday night's Powerball drawing is an estimated $600 million, giving many a bad case of lottery fever.
They say you can't win if you don't play, and thousands of people are. The jackpot for Saturday night's Powerball drawing is an estimated $600 million, giving many a bad case of lottery fever.