Brookhaven, Georgia

BROOKHAVEN, GEORGI A with corrugated metal, which has a lifespan of 20 to 25 years. “We’re approaching 50 years,” says Sigman, “so we did inherit some very old stormwater infrastructure.” Be that as it may, the geography of the area helps with that problem. Atlanta is 1,050 ft above sea level and sitting largely on granite which makes widespread flooding much less of an issue. Even when it rains hard, most of the water will dissipate within a few minutes because of Atlanta’s topography. With the specialized help of Storm Water Systems, Inc., another environmental issue is being addressed in the city. Brookhaven installed the Bandalong Litter Trap in an attempt to stop the trash and debris run off from I-285 from entering Murphy Candler Lake. The installation of the Bandalong was the second phase of helping clean out the lake, with the first being to dredge the lake to remove years of sediment build up. Today, the city funds its own police force, operates beautiful parks and recreation centers, maintains infrastructure to industry standards, and controls land use with its own zoning, planning, and building department. Sigman clarifies, “We do not manage fire, EMS, libraries, or schools. These services remained with the county, so we can be hyper-focused on police, parks, and infrastructure. Our city loves their police, they love their parks, and they love nice smooth pavement.” Brookhaven’s housing stock is mostly single and multi-family homes, and Sigman states, “You won’t see a 10-story condo building going up in our residential neighborhoods.” Despite being a new city, most of the infrastructure and homes were built between 1940 and 1970, which makes stormwater management challenging because dedicated stormwater pipes didn’t exist back then for much of the city. The original pipes were built