The county website posted an update on the failure at the South Cobb Water Reclamation Facility today.  The overflow has been halted by the installation of the second pump brought in to get the facility back online.  A third pump will now be installed.  These pumps are a temporary fix, and the cause of the failure has not yet been determined.

Here is the complete announcement from Ross Cavitt, the county’s communications director:

Austell — The second large temporary pump is now operating near the South Cobb Water Reclamation Facility, relieving pressure on the South Cobb Tunnel. Crews on the scene report this has stopped the overflows into the nearby Nickajack Creek.

Despite the progress, crews plan on installing a third pump into the access well to continue drawing water out of the system. A still unknown failure New Year’s Eve led to a rush of water into a pump station that took out both the main and backup pump system. Cobb Water System officials will not be able to investigate the failure until they clear the water out of the pump station. We don’t know how long that will take.

Water System officials have been working with the state Environmental Protection Division during the incident. This system is not related to Cobb County’s drinking water. The South Cobb facility is one of four wastewater treatment plants that serve the county, primarily dealing with wastewater and runoff from the Austell area and parts of southern Cobb County.