UPDATE | March 22, 2024:
Between March 4 and March 15, dangerously high levels of E. coli bacteria were detected in the Chattahoochee River in metro Atlanta and immediately downstream of the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road bridge. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) detected the high bacteria levels during routine river monitoring and tracked the source to the City of Atlanta’s R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center (WRC).
On March 5, CRK notified the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) about our results. We corresponded with the City of Atlanta DWM and they indicated that equipment failures at the plant were likely the cause. As a result, the city expedited equipment repair and leased temporary equipment to improve the quality of the discharge. Georgia EPD also conducted an inspection of the plant.
On March 16, the City of Atlanta DWM notified CRK that they were beginning to see improvements in the R.M. Clayton WRC discharge. Samples collected by CRK the week of March 18 showed that water quality returned to safe conditions at the outfall and in the river. We are very encouraged by these results, and we will continue monitoring the site for unusual spikes in bacteria levels. You can view water quality data from more than 200 sites throughout the watershed on our website.
Water quality is generally very good in metro Atlanta and the Chattahoochee River. However, this was the second failure at a major wastewater treatment plant in metro Atlanta in less than a year. In the summer of 2023, a failure at the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Fulton County sent millions of gallons of undertreated sewage into the river upstream of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area every day for weeks, resulting in a three-week closure of the river park to protect public health.
What caused the plant to fail?
We do not know exactly what caused the R.M. Clayton WRC failure. The City of Atlanta DWM has cited heavy rain events in January and February, which caused the secondary clarifiers at the plant to stop functioning properly.
This problem is unlike other issues we often see during heavy rains, where water seeps into cracks in the sewer pipes (that run from homes and businesses to wastewater treatment plants) and causes them to overflow into nearby streams. This event is different because the failure happened at the plant where the treatment should occur.
Do undertreated wastewater discharges pose a risk to public health?
Yes. Water quality testing conducted daily by CRK from the R.M. Clayton WRC outfall at the Chattahoochee River between March 4 and March 15 showed E. coli bacteria levels an average of 340 times higher (ranging from 40 to 500 times higher) than the amount recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for safe water recreation.
High bacteria levels pose serious risks to public health, especially for vulnerable populations such as young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
How many miles downstream of the wastewater outfall were impacted?
The greatest impact was immediately downstream of the R.M. Clayton WRC outfall at the Chattahoochee River, at the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases water from Buford Dam upstream, which helped to dilute E. coli contamination further downstream.
When bacteria levels were high, CRK recommended that river users avoid recreation on the river downstream of the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road for 70 miles to West Point Lake.
Water quality was not impacted in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area upstream of the plant.
Is water quality safe downstream of the plant now?
As of March 16, the immediate threat from the R.M. Clayton discharge has passed.
Water quality is generally very good in the Chattahoochee River. In general, avoid river recreation for 72 hours when the river is high and muddy after it rains. CRK publishes water quality data from throughout the Chattahoochee River watershed online here.
Was drinking water affected by the undertreated wastewater discharge?
Drinking water in Fulton County and the metro Atlanta region was not affected by the plant failure. All source water is treated to meet drinking water standards.
What is the impact of the discharge on wildlife?
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper monitored the impact of the discharge on wildlife at the R.M. Clayton WRC outfall and downstream. There were no indications of a fish kill as a result of the discharge.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available.
The post Atlanta wastewater treatment plant experiences upset, monitoring ongoing appeared first on Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
Between March 4 and March 15, dangerously high levels of E. coli bacteria were detected in the Chattahoochee River in metro Atlanta and immediately downstream of the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road bridge. Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) detected the high bacteria levels during routine river monitoring and tracked the source to the City of Atlanta’s R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center (WRC).
On March 5, CRK notified the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) about our results. We corresponded with the City of Atlanta DWM and they indicated that equipment failures at the plant were likely the cause. As a result, the city expedited equipment repair and leased temporary equipment to improve the quality of the discharge. Georgia EPD also conducted an inspection of the plant.
On March 16, the City of Atlanta DWM notified CRK that they were beginning to see improvements in the R.M. Clayton WRC discharge. Samples collected by CRK the week of March 18 showed that water quality returned to safe conditions at the outfall and in the river. We are very encouraged by these results, and we will continue monitoring the site for unusual spikes in bacteria levels. You can view water quality data from more than 200 sites throughout the watershed on our website.
Water quality is generally very good in metro Atlanta and the Chattahoochee River. However, this was the second failure at a major wastewater treatment plant in metro Atlanta in less than a year. In the summer of 2023, a failure at the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Fulton County sent millions of gallons of undertreated sewage into the river upstream of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area every day for weeks, resulting in a three-week closure of the river park to protect public health.
What caused the plant to fail?
We do not know exactly what caused the R.M. Clayton WRC failure. The City of Atlanta DWM has cited heavy rain events in January and February, which caused the secondary clarifiers at the plant to stop functioning properly.
This problem is unlike other issues we often see during heavy rains, where water seeps into cracks in the sewer pipes (that run from homes and businesses to wastewater treatment plants) and causes them to overflow into nearby streams. This event is different because the failure happened at the plant where the treatment should occur.
Do undertreated wastewater discharges pose a risk to public health?
Yes. Water quality testing conducted daily by CRK from the R.M. Clayton WRC outfall at the Chattahoochee River between March 4 and March 15 showed E. coli bacteria levels an average of 340 times higher (ranging from 40 to 500 times higher) than the amount recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for safe water recreation.
High bacteria levels pose serious risks to public health, especially for vulnerable populations such as young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems.
How many miles downstream of the wastewater outfall were impacted?
The greatest impact was immediately downstream of the R.M. Clayton WRC outfall at the Chattahoochee River, at the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases water from Buford Dam upstream, which helped to dilute E. coli contamination further downstream.
When bacteria levels were high, CRK recommended that river users avoid recreation on the river downstream of the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road for 70 miles to West Point Lake.
Water quality was not impacted in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area upstream of the plant.
Is water quality safe downstream of the plant now?
As of March 16, the immediate threat from the R.M. Clayton discharge has passed.
Water quality is generally very good in the Chattahoochee River. In general, avoid river recreation for 72 hours when the river is high and muddy after it rains. CRK publishes water quality data from throughout the Chattahoochee River watershed online here.
Was drinking water affected by the undertreated wastewater discharge?
Drinking water in Fulton County and the metro Atlanta region was not affected by the plant failure. All source water is treated to meet drinking water standards.
What is the impact of the discharge on wildlife?
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper monitored the impact of the discharge on wildlife at the R.M. Clayton WRC outfall and downstream. There were no indications of a fish kill as a result of the discharge.
This page will be updated as more information becomes available.
The post Atlanta wastewater treatment plant experiences upset, monitoring ongoing appeared first on Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.