Austell mayor leads plans to build flood prevention tunnel

By Jonathan Shapiro

Atlanta, GA – Joe Jerkins, Austell's mayor, wants to build a 5 mile long flood tunnel along Sweetwater Creek.

He says when Sweetwater overflows, as it did Sept 21st and in 2005, everyone in Cobb and Douglas are at risk.

JERKINS: "We're getting Powder Springs water, we got creek comes from the upper area of Marietta, then you got buttermilk creek coming from there, it hits Sweetwater in Austell so you got four major creeks and all of these start backing up and it creates the flooding for them."

Jerkins says the tunnel would cost in the 100 million area but says it would solve flooding issues for thousands of homes.

He is currently lobbying the Army Corps of Engineers to study the tunnel's feasibility.

For WABE News, I'm Jonathan Shapiro.