Summerville Fish Hatchery during flood – Photo Credit: Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Wildlife Resources Division

Georgia Outdoor News (GON) reported this week the Summerville Fish Hatchery narrowly avoided “disaster” during the Labor Day Weekend Flood that struck Summerville and Chattooga County in September.

GON reported the hatchery was hit with 14 inches of rain in less than eight hours, which caused its trout raceways and production ponds to overflow. That flooding allowed some trout to escape into the floodwaters. Quick action by hatchery personnel saved the entire facility from major damage.

Of the 72,000 trout being raised there, approximately 55,000 survived, according to hatchery officials.

The fish hatchery said that many of the fish that escaped were fish that would have been used for restocking in 2023.  The Summerville Fish Hatchery is currently working on a plan to replace those fish.