Amerson River Park, Ocmulgee Heritage Trail to remain closed indefinitely
The Ocmulgee River near Macon remained under a flood warning Sunday, but was expected to drop below the flood stage of 18 feet by Monday afternoon.
Amerson River Park and the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail are expected to remain closed indefinitely, while the Walker Road Landfill is expected to reopen Monday, said Chris Floore, spokesman for Macon-Bibb County government.
Recent rainfall and flooding caused several sinkholes to develop at Amerson River Park. Both the park and the Heritage Trail will need to be assessed for damage, repaired and cleaned up before they can be reopened, Floore said Sunday.
At 5:30 p.m. Sunday, the Ocmulgee River near Macon was at 19.06 feet and falling.
The river crested at 27.77 feet at 5:30 a.m. Dec. 27, the seventh-highest level in history. The Ocmulgee reached 35.4 feet in the flood of 1994.
Meanwhile, Bowden Golf Course on Millerfield Road in Macon reopened over the weekend -- first with nine holes Saturday and all 18 holes Sunday, said Rhonda Singleton, golf coordinator at the golf course.
"Quite a few" golfers came out over the chilly weekend, Singleton said.
"They'll play in just about anything," she said with a laugh. "Golfers are dedicated."
In Jones County, Bryan Charron was busy cleaning up Sunday. He said he lost everything when his home flooded earlier. In spite of the loss, Charron said his faith rests in God to provide for him.
Also, three displaced families were given shelter at The Lodges at Juliette during the peak of the flooding, said Charron, who manages the lodges. Photos of flooding around the lodges was posted on the lodges' Facebook page.
In Monroe County, portions of Zellner Road, Castleberry Loop and the Juliette River Park remained flooded Sunday. In Laurens County, portions of South Decatur, Ohio and Columbia streets were also under water Sunday.
In Putnam County, temporary fixes over four roads that were washed out earlier from the heavy rains and flooding were holding, and the water was receding, Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills said.
The extended forecast from the National Weather Service on Sunday called for mostly clear skies for the next few days, with a 30 percent chance of showers Thursday night.
Information from Telegraph archives was used in this report. To contact writer Becky Purser, call 256-9559
This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 8:16 PM with the headline "Amerson River Park, Ocmulgee Heritage Trail to remain closed indefinitely ."