County officials have announced the recent completion of the first critical stormwater infrastructure project financed by new stormwater utility funds.

An ongoing flooding problem at Brittany Way in the Fayette Villa Estates subdivision was corrected by the replacement of a stormwater pipe, the first such project paid entirely from the stormwater utility fund, according to a county spokesperson.

In recent years rains of only moderate intensity, such as an inch over a two-hour period, would often result in flooding of the road and/or adjacent properties. Because of this, the county identified the project as a high priority.

Neighborhood resident Osvaldo Sanchez was a frequent guest at Fayette County Board of Commissioners meetings asking for the replacement of a failing culvert that was a major contributor to the flooding around his home.

Officials determined that the old pipe under Brittany Way, 30 inches in diameter, was too small for the drainage area it was serving. Not only that, but some other components of the drainage system were not positioned at ideal locations and elevations.

The county left the 30-inch pipe in place but also approved the addition of a box culvert measuring three feet by six feet along with flumes for the road. Work crews redefined the ditch and added armoring to its banks. The entire project took about three months, and all of the work was done with county labor except for some utility relocations and concrete work, county officials said.

“I am extremely happy for the Sanchez family who had to endure the residual flooding from the culvert beneath the road for many years,” said Commission Chairman Steve Brown. “The Board of Commissioners was determined to take action with the little funds we had available and make the road flooding problems go away.”

A resolution passed earlier this year authorizes reimbursement from the stormwater utility to the county for several flooding and safety projects, reflecting the current board’s stated intention to address a number of serious problems stemming from decades of stormwater infrastructure not being maintained or replaced.

This action came after a series of town hall meetings in 2013 to gather public input before overhauling the stormwater utility, paying special attention to the comments of rural residents in the unincorporated county.

The big problem was a lack of funding, which county leaders decided to correct by using a two-year SPLOST. But the referendum failed and the county will continue trying to gather the funds for “the worst of the needed repairs,” as a spokesperson put it.