SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Homeowners in one City of South Fulton subdivision said they can’t escape the smell of raw sewage.
They said the builder is to blame for cutting corners and turned to Channel 2 Action News to help.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln learned the county is responsible for inspecting the sewer line.
After our calls, the county sent crews out who discovered what was causing the mess.
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“I think it’s a nightmare,” homeowner Earl McCarthy said.
A group of first-time homeowners said much like the Langston Hughes poem, they are living a dream deferred, specifically the American dream.
“It’s hard to keep fighting every day,” homeowner Benson Gitati said.
All three men recently moved into the Stone Crest Estate subdivision in the City of South Fulton.
They said the problems began within months.
“We cannot issue permits for these builders and allow them to come in and build communities that are subpar,” McCarthy said.
Collapsed ceilings, cracks, a huge rock pile and poor draining are just the tip of the iceberg.
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“The smell is so bad in that air,” homeowner Hugh Little said.
That smell is raw sewage oozing near the community playground.
“It’s pretty much when you go to the bathroom and use a number two,” Gitati said.
One homeowner took pictures showing swaths of toilet issues around a sewage manhole.
Neighbors told Channel 2 Action News they’ve complained to the builder LGI Homes for months with no resolution.
They said a representative told them the smell was coming from a neighboring waste treatment facility.
Channel 2 Action News checked maps for the area and found no waste treatment plant for miles.
“You feel like you were duped?” Lincoln asked McCarthy.
“Yes, absolutely,” McCarthy said.
When Channel 2 Action News reported the sewage leak to Fulton County, they sent crews to investigate.
A City of South Fulton leader said construction debris causes the blockage.
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Lincoln reached out to LGI Homes multiple times to see if the sewer lines were properly inspected.
The company has not responded.
“They got caught in the crossover,” said South Fulton Council Member Jaceey Sebastian.
He said a subdivision bond is supposed to protect homeowners.
A bond is a financial promise allowing a developer to sell lots of land before the completion of public infrastructure like drains and sidewalks.
If a community passes inspection, the developer will receive that money back.
In this case, Sebastian said the builder owned the land before the City of South Fulton was formed.
“Bonds got released that were not released by our city. Later on, some problems show up, including some infrastructure and some sewer problems,” Sebastian said.
Channel 2 Action News submitted an open records request and learned Fulton County is responsible for inspecting the sewer pipes.
The county said it had no records of any sewer inspections for the community.
“We want development here. We encourage development here. But at the same time, we are asking for quality government to be done here, just as they would in any other parts of the county,” Sebastian said.
“There’s a lot of details in the contract that our professional would definitely know about,” said realtor Mark Kozik.
Kozik and Curtis Russell own Great Homes ATL.
They said there are ways to protect yourself when buying a home.
They say to hire a qualified realtor who will make sure builders have passed necessary city and county infrastructure inspections.
They also recommend getting multiple inspections throughout the building process.
“While the home could be beautiful, you need to know what’s going on behind the walls, what’s going on behind the things that you can’t see. And if you don’t really have representation, you really won’t know the right questions to ask,” Russell said.
We checked with other counties to see who is responsible for inspecting sewer lines.
In Gwinnett, it is the county’s responsibility except for the cities of Buford, Braselton and Loganville which have their own sewer systems and do their own inspections.
In Cobb, it is the county except for the cities of Marietta, Smyrna and Austell, unless the county serves that area of the city.
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