Sanders Road, Little Ridge Cove Repairs Underway

Staff Report

Work began this week to clear out excess sediment from Little Ridge Cove and to repair to Sanders Road. Both the cove and the road were damaged as a result of a breach of the Lake Alice Dam that occurred in May of 2013 after an unusually heavy rainfall event.

Since that time, the dam breach has led to several thousand cubic yards of excess silt and sediment moving into nearby Little Ridge Cove. In August, the Cumming City Council approved a contract with River Sand, Inc., in the amount of $247,440 for removal of some 7,200 cubic yards of sediment.

River Sand employees have brought in several different types of excavators for the project, and will be creating a temporary roadway for the sole purpose of hauling away the excess siltation. Based on the contract that was approved by the City Council, the total project is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2016.

Crews with Martin Contracting have also begun prep work for repairs to Sanders Road, a portion of which caved in as a result of excess water moving underneath, through an undersized culvert, after the dam breach. The road has been closed since then.

In September, the Cumming City Council approved a measure in which the City would pay half the costs of the repairs, while Forsyth County would pay the other half. Recently, Forsyth County Commissioners also signed off on that agreement.

Martin Contracting workers will be replacing the inadequate 60-inch culvert with a new 8x8 box culvert, which has a much greater capacity and will be capable of handling any future flooding issues. Martin Contracting will also be repairing the road itself, which will allow the road to be reopened to traffic. The Sanders Road project is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2015, at an estimated cost of $434,000, which will be divided equally between the City of Cumming and Forsyth County.

Mandates issued to the Mashburn Family Trusts, who owned the Lake Alice Dam, and the City of Cumming by the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) concerning remediation of the Little Ridge Creek and Cove area will be fulfilled after this work is complete. The area around the Lake Alice Dam breach has been returned to its natural state prior to the construction of the dam, some 80 years ago.