Atlanta outlines plans to fix issues at polluting wastewater plant

Heavy rain events earlier this year compounded the problem, Browning said, causing “cascading impacts” to the plant’s treatment systems. In its response to EPD, Atlanta Watershed says it began addressing the issues before the inspection and detailed its plans to bring the rest of the plant back online.

Of the plant’s eight primary settling tanks used to remove solids, known as clarifiers, three are now online. Repairs to the other five are expected to be complete by the end of June.

Only four of the plant’s 10 secondary clarifiers are currently operational, but the department said it expects to have seven back in service by June. The three final clarifiers were damaged so badly that portions will require a complete rebuild, work that the Atlanta Watershed said could take until the end of this year to finish.

To pick up the slack, the facility is using mobile clarifiers to remove solids and chlorine to further disinfect wastewater.

In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Browning said her department “is fully committed to ensuring our water and wastewater are treated to the highest standards, including complying with the EPD’s latest rules and regulations.”

EPD spokeswoman Sara Lips said it is reviewing the city’s responses and would work with them “to determine appropriate timelines for sharing additional information and project updates.” Lips noted that the agency has seen a decline in the E. coli levels and other contaminants reported in the plant’s discharges since mid-March.

The riverkeeper, however, said it is still concerned about the situation. While it has not found high levels of E. coli since April 11, the group says it is still detecting high levels of suspended solids and nutrients coming out of the plant. The riverkeeper also expressed concern about the length of time the city has said it could take to complete its remediation plans.

“While we appreciate (Atlanta Watershed’s) ongoing efforts to improve the discharge, our data indicates that R.M. Clayton is a major threat to the Chattahoochee River, downstream river users and the river’s ecosystem,” said Jason Ulseth, the Riverkeeper’s executive director.

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