Flood Warning Issued For Sweetwater Creek In Douglas

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — The heavy rains associated with Hurricane Irma have swollen Sweetwater Creek in eastern Douglas County, with officials warning of flooding in the area.

The flooding is expected to center around Lithia Springs and Austell and will impact Douglas and Cobb counties, according to the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City. The warning lasts from noon Tuesday through Wednesday night.

At 3 a.m. Tuesday, waters at the creek were at 6.3 feet and rising. They are forecast to reach about 12.3 feet and flooding begins at about 10 feet, forecasters said.

Read: 3 Dead, Million+ Without Power After Hurricane Irma Soaks Georgia

Watch: FEMA Says Irma Clean-Up Will Be A Complex And Frustrating Process

Flood-prone areas, including Woodrow Wilson Park, lower areas of Mt. Vernon Road, Wren Circle Park and the paintball fields on Blairs Bridge Road near Interstate 20 are expected to see at least minor flooding, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Douglas County Emergency Management, the sheriff's office and fire/EMS crews were monitoring the creek Tuesday morning and planning to block off roadways when needed.

According to the sheriff's office, Woodrow Wilson Park and Wren Circle Park are designed to be flooded and there are no permanent structures within the parks that should be impacted by the flooding.

Like the Douglasville Patch on Facebook to get more stories like this in your News Feed.

Photo by SebATL, via Wikimedia Commons