Spring Creek Park walkway may be slippery. Not since the last major flood, when Colquitt and Miller County received between eight and 11 inches of rain in a very short time have the people of this area seen so much water. It was a little earlier in the year, on Sunday, March 8, 1998, when most of Miller County went under from the rains.

This time the rain started on Friday, March 27, 2009, with a good two to two and one-half inch rain, and then the big one came on Saturday, March 28, with from seven to 11 more inches that had nowhere to go.

The wet weather streams started filling and running into our main tributary, Spring Creek. The banks of the creek started spreading to the swamps, and when they filled, the waters started backing up into ditches, then fields, then, yards, then homes. The damage reports are not all in at the time of this edition, but a number of businesses, homes, farm buildings, vehicles, irrigation systems and equipment went under water. Some were damaged by twister-like high winds that came with the storms out of the Gulf of Mexico. The damage to farm land and crops already planted will be extensive. Most of the fertilizer and seed already put into the ground has been washed to Spring Creek or Lake Seminole.

Jelly plant on SR91 had the roof torn off by high winds, damaging much of the equipment and inventory inside the building. Again, our emergency organizations, both paid and volunteers, did an outstanding job of clearing roads, closing dangerous roads, directing motorists around dangerous areas, removing downed power lines, getting people out of homes and vehicles and getting those people to shelters who didn't have a place to stay.

Emergency management officersreported that the following roads were closed during the flood, and some of these were closed as late as Monday, March 30, due to Spring Creek flooding the roads as it has continued to rise. Road Closures as of Monday, March 30, were as follows:

• Smith Rd.- Three Notch to Grady Cobb

• Grimsley Bridge- 91 to Enterprise
• Chapman Rd. - to 91
• Counce Drive Trailer homes and autos sustain damage as the water rises in Colquitt on Highway SR 45.

• Davistown Rd.
• Daniels Rd. to Holly Dr.
• Enterprise Rd.- Bush to
Grimsley Bridge
• Lane Rd.- From Grimsley
to Enterprise
• Shingler- Three Notch to
Grady Cobb
• Wilkin Rd.- RR Track to
S Curve
• Cox Rd.
• Stein Rd.
• Privett Store Rd.
• Clay Brown Rd.
• Thompson West Rd.- TT to
Henry Miller
• Casey Carter Rd.
• Old Damascus Rd.- Harmony
Church to Clay Brown
• Mayhaw Rd. @ Newberry
Chambers Rd.
• Enterprise Rd. South of
91
• Booker Rd.

• N. Early Co. Line Rd.
Roberts Rd. to Jeterville)
• Arline Rd.
• Lane Rd.
• Grimsley Bridge Rd. -

Hwy. 91 to Grimsley Rd.
• Henley Rd.
• West Sheffield Rd.
• Springhead Rd.
• Wright Calhoun Rd.

• Grassy Flats Rd. Resident on Highway 91 looking for what may have floated off.
• Willis Cook Rd.
• Williams Rd.

• Wacaser Corner Rd.
• Wacaser Rd.
• Warren Rd.
• West Sheffield Rd.
• Griffin Sheffield Rd.
• Union Church Rd.
• Suggs Rd.
• Springhead Rd.
• Piney Pond Rd.
• New Salem Church Rd.
• Hornsby Rd.
• Hornsby Cemetery Rd.
• Old Donalsonville Rd.
• Curtis McCorkle Rd.
• Clenney Rd.
• Bush Rd.
• Bud Justice Rd.
• Baker County Line Rd.
• Womble Rd.
• Whites Bridge Rd. - Twilight
Rd. to Brinson Rd.

Due to the road situation throughout the county, Miller County schools were closed on Monday.

In the reported damages from the rain, wind, lightning and twister-like winds, 34 homes were damaged, three businesses sustained damage, and many of the county roads were closed. The city sewer system was shut down due to power failure, and a major spill of raw sewerage was reported to the Environmental Protection Agency. This same thing happened during the 1998 flood.

Home and buildings on SR 45 south in Colquitt get flooded out. A Boil Water Order has been issued by Southwest Health District and is now in effect for private wells in the counties of Colquitt, Decatur, Miller and Seminole where water contamination has been caused as a result of severe weather outbreaks on March 27 and 28, 2009.

Until further notice in the above-listed counties, private well water used for food preparation, consumption or brushing teeth should be brought to a full rolling boil and allowed to boil for two minutes, then strained, before being used.

It is not necessary to boil well water for other household activities such as washing dishes, laundry or bathing.

This Boil Water Order is limited to private wells and does not apply to municipal water systems.

It has also been advised to stay away from the Spring Creek area below the sewerage spill that occurred when the power failed on the treatment plant. The waste water treatment plant had a major spill in excess of 10,000 gallons of sewage at 34 Mayhaw Drive in Spring Creek Park.

Living near the creek is nice, most of the time. Catfish and carp fishing should be wonderful this summer in Spring Creek, if there is any water left.

Since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Georgia Department of Natural Resources put a moratorium on cleaning the log jams and removing the silt and mud that go into the creek, there is very little basin to hold the water. This has caused major flooding of homes, property, both public and private each time we have excessive rains. When we have drought, the creek beds dry up completely.

Each time, especially in the spring, when there are excessive rains, thousands of tons of sand and top soil are washed into the wet weather stream basins as well as Spring Creek. The growth in the basins and debris have filled the stream so that the water has no place to go.

The Colquitt United Methodist Church opened its doors to those who were evacuated from their homes, or did not have a place to go.

The city and county administrators urged anyone with damage to report it as soon as possible.

According to Georgia Department of Transportation, the waters have receded off the state roads. Motorists are urged to drive in this area with extreme care, since sand and dirt have washed on many of the roadways.

Monday afternoon, March 30, Miller County Emergency Management officers Debbie T. Henry, director, and Cory Thomas, deputy director, stated, "During this past weekend Miller County has experienced severe flooding of the low lying areas and creeks and streams. Spring Creek and Aycocks Creek are presently at flood stage. Several residents of the county have been evacuated or cut off from their property due to high water levels.

Forecasts from the National Weather Service have indicated that there are presently three significant storm systems that will affect our area beginning Tuesday night. This first storm system is forecast to bring approximately 4-6 inches more of rain to our area. The estimated total rainfall for all three systems is approximately 8-13 inches of rain through Monday, April 7, as indicated by the National Weather Service.

Please be advised that if you live in a low-lying area and/or have experienced flooding in past rain events, we are advising you to take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves and/or your property.

Please monitor the news media as well as weather forecasts for updated information."

Spring Creek rose to 24 feet during the 1998 flood. Spring Creek on Monday, March 30, was at 20.78 feet and still rising. With the amount of rains predicted, this has a possibility of being a larger flood than before since there is no place for the water to go, but up. If you have had problems in the past, it would be advisable to move what you can and get out of low areas.

There were many areas of the county that could not be reached to photograph, but a large number of flood photos can be seen on the web site at Just click on dotphoto and look for Flood.