Fayetteville family struggles with unusual flooding caused by leak in nearby water tower

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. – Although there has been great concern about flooding this past week, for one Fayetteville family it wasn't the weather that caused their problem. They live near a leaky water tower.

When you hear about a leaking water tower, you might think the problem is coming from above. But not in this case. This wasn't really a leak, but rather a discharge.

Fayetteville resident Shannon Oldroyd lives next door to the Ellis Road Tower and recently videotaped a fast-moving stream of water coming from the tower property. The water is apparently drained via a drainage system and flows away from the tower property.

But once the water leaves the tower property, there is a problem.

Oldroyd showed FOX 5 how the water flowed across her and her neighbor's property.

It also appears to have damaged an access road.

She alerted authorities and said she discovered that the Fayette Water System had the ability to close a valve that prevented the flooding. That's what they did.

Then it happened again and she contacted FOX 5.

FOX 5 contacted Fayette County government officials and received an immediate response saying they would investigate. A few hours later we received another response:

“The Fayette County Water System (FCWS) Fayette County Water System (FCWS) Facilities Maintenance Department is scheduled to check the pressure settings on the elevation valve that regulates water elevation in water towers. Should additional work be required, facility maintenance is prepared to make necessary repairs or coordinate with a provider that specializes in this type of valve.”

The water utility said it was immediately taking further action to address the problem.

Additionally, the access road that supposedly leads to Georgia state property would be repaired.