“People need to know that they should avoid river contact until this plant is back online and fully operational.”
There has not been an actual sewage spill, and the Clayton plant is “operational and online,” according to a spokesperson for the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.
High water flow from heavy rain caused mechanical failures at the plant, so DWM is doing “corrective and preventive maintenance” on several secondary clarifiers, the spokesperson said. Those remove additional pollutants that got through the primary treatment.
Eight mobile clarifiers have been added during the repairs, and more disinfectant is being used to lower E. coli levels, according to the spokesperson.
Guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say E. coli concentrations below 126 units per 100 milliliters of water are safe for swimming and other recreation. Ulseth said that while it appears the plant’s treatment processes are removing larger solids, the Riverkeeper has found concentrations of the fecal bacteria around the facility’s outfall that are north of 120,000 units per 100 milliliters.
“As of March 13, there have been no indications of a fish kill as a result of the discharge,” a Chattahoochee Riverkeeper announcement said. “Drinking water in Fulton County and the metro Atlanta region is not affected by the plant failure.”
The group discovered the contamination in routine daily samples collected downstream from the Marietta Boulevard/Atlanta Road bridge between March 4 and March 13, and reported it to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
The DWM does “ongoing monitoring and sampling,” and collaborates with Georgia EPD to deal with elevated E. coli levels, the DWM spokesperson said. The Georgia EPD did not respond immediately to a request for comment Thursday.
The Clayton plant at 2440 Bolton Road NW treats Atlanta’s sewage. It is permitted to release up to 100 million gallons of treated wastewater per day into the river….
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