MORROW, Ga. — A Clayton County renter says she is moving out of her apartment after another raw sewage backup left foul-smelling wastewater sitting inside her home for days.
Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Ashli Lincoln visited the Southwood Apartments in Morrow, where the odor from one unit was so strong it was difficult to enter.
“This just happened three days ago, three days ago,” renter Shaquala Corley said, pointing to sewage that she said had backed up into her apartment.
Corley said wastewater has repeatedly come through the bathroom despite previous repair requests.
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“I don’t even use that bathroom. I close the door and it still comes out,” she said.
Corley, who lives with her young daughter, said the recurring backups have forced her to make the decision to leave.
“I just got tired and I was like, I’m gonna just move,” she said.
Corley previously told Channel 2 in April that she had been sleeping in her living room because of the smell and unsanitary conditions caused by repeated sewage overflows.
Other tenants say her experience is not isolated.
Residents have emailed Channel 2 Action News since 2023 describing ongoing plumbing failures, sewage concerns and delayed maintenance responses throughout the complex. Lincoln also spoke with renters who didn’t want to be interviewed about on-going sewage problems in their units.
“I don’t like that very much because it’s their problem, we shouldn’t have to do that,” renter Chuck Johnson said, referring to tenants having to clean sewage inside their homes.
Johnson said he has repeatedly tried to get management to address the larger issue about general maintenance problems.
“Very upset, because I’ve been wanting to get ahold of somebody to do something about it,” he said.
In a statement, a representative for the property said staff inspected Building 35 after Channel 2’s inquiry and found one household with a clogged toilet that had not been reported.
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The company said the issue was being addressed immediately.
“We have received zero complaints from residents about toilet or sewage issues in the past week, either in writing or in person,” the statement said. “Because of the age and size of the property, we respond quickly to issues when they are reported by residents or identified by staff. Residents have a responsibility to report maintenance concerns immediately; we cannot fix issues that we are not aware of.”
Management also said there were no repair requests on file from Corley.
Corley disputes that claim, saying she reported the problem multiple times in person because the online tenant portal does not work.
She said the sewage returned the day after management said repairs were made and provided a photo showing wastewater backing up again inside the apartment.
Corley says the property’s latest response also contrasts with a statement the company gave Channel 2 last month, when management said, “There is no known sewer problem on the property currently; all sewer lines are intact.”
“I’m not crazy because I see it physically with my eyes,” she said. “Why is it coming in my house if it is no sewer back up?”
Even as she prepares to leave, Corley said she believes management is only treating surface-level symptoms instead of addressing what tenants suspect is a larger underground sewer line problem.
“If you’re not doing the bigger issue under the ground outside, replacing the problem is still gonna happen,” she said.
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