For the last two years, students practicing for and competing at Tyrone's Sandy Creek High School in cross country track events have been running on the school board's effluent spray sewerage fields despite repeated warnings about potential health risks from the Ga. Environmental Protection Division.

Accompanying photographs provided to The Citizen show not only athletes but also spectators using land that officially has been put off-limits and marked as such with signage by the school system and the state agency.

In addition, the school system lost its only certified sewerage system operator months ago, and has been borrowing the services of Fayetteville's sewer operator, though not on a daily basis, according to interviews with school and Fayetteville officials.

In documents obtained by The Citizen this week, the state EPD warned the Fayette County Board of Education twice about letting athletes on the spray field at the Sandy Creek treatment facility on Jenkins Road.

On March 28, 1997, Environmental Specialist Brian Boutelle warned then Superintendent of Education Trigg Dalrymple about the health hazards at the Sandy Creek treatment facility, located next to Sandy Creek High School.

"Based on your permit limits, you are advised that it could pose a health risk to allow recreational activities to occur in the spray field area. You are advised to cease further activities utilizing the sprayfield," Boutelle said.

Apparently the warning went unheeded, as the Fayette County Board of Education received another letter from the EPD just one month ago. In a letter dated Oct. 22, 1998, Environmental Specialist James Elliott once again warned of the health concerns for athletes on the spray fields.

"Certain athletic activities, cross country runners, are using the spray fields as a training area. Based on your permit limits, you are advised that contact with effluent in the spray fields could pose a health risk to students participating in recreation activities in the sprayfield areas. You are advised to cease further athletic department activities utilizing the sprayfield," Elliott said.

In addition to outlining his health concerns about the facility, Elliott found three other discrepancies during his Oct. 9 inspection:

· The system needs to repair and replace broken and malfunctioning sprayer heads in the sprayfields.

· The system needs to replace the sign on the gate to the wastewater treatment area and identify the area as a treatment facility.

· The system needs to ensure that a certified operator is present at the facility on a daily basis to oversee the operations of the plant.

The Sandy Creek treatment facility has been the subject of many headlines during the last few months. The town of Tyrone was very interested in purchasing the facility to provide sewerage for a nearby proposed 800,000 square-feet office complex to be developed by Richard Bowers.

Last week, in a one-page letter, Dr. Dave Brotherton told Tyrone officials the school system was no longer interested in selling the facility. Since Tyrone had not received an appraisal on the system, town manager Barry Amos was confused about the school system's change of mind.

"They really didn't offer an explanation," he said.