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Riverkeepers Threaten to Sue Atlanta Over Treated Sewage Dumped into Chattahoochee River – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA — Time is running out for the city of Atlanta to fix problems at Georgia’s largest water treatment plant or face federal lawsuits.

The Chattahoochee Riverkeepers gave 60 days’ notice of their intent to sue, which is required by the Clean Water Act.

“We actually put the city on notice. You have 60 days to fix this or we will hold you accountable in federal court,” said Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Jason Ulseth.

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The focus is on the RM Clayton plant.

The wastewater treatment plant is the largest in Georgia, responsible for treating about 80 million gallons of wastewater per day before discharging it into the Chattahoochee River.

“To put that in perspective, if you’re downstream from Atlanta and the river is low like it is today, about one in five gallons is being treated,” Ulseth said.

Earlier this year, Riverkeepers discovered that E-coli levels in water coming from the plant were 340 times higher than EPA recommended levels.

“Basically, people who came into contact with this water were very likely to contract disease,” Ulseth said.

In March, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources inspected the RM Clayton plant.

They found broken or offline equipment at almost every stage of the wastewater treatment process.

They also listed 48 permit violations dating back to last year.

“It’s unbelievable that in 2024, the largest water treatment plant in the state of Georgia is in such disrepair. This didn’t happen overnight and it’s not a specific problem. There are major problems at every stage of treatment in this treatment plant,” Ulseth said.

E. coli levels decreased after the facility used chlorine to help kill the bacteria.

However, this could lead to fish kills later this summer.

“We need to look at improvements to the facilities at this plant, from where the wastewater enters the plant to where it exits,” said Atlanta City Councilman Dustin Hillis.

The plant is located in the Hillis district.

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He said he had pushed for accountability and wanted to see the plant find long-term solutions.

“Band-aids and deferred maintenance work that can no longer work for this plant,” Hillis said.

On Tuesday, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management sent a letter to Riverkeepers.

In this letter, the department director highlighted ongoing improvements and repairs to improve the facility, including repairs to seven of the ten secondary clarifiers.

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