SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Fulton County officials have confirmed that a major sewage spill which caused more than 15 miles of the Chattahoochee River to be closed ahead of the July 4th holiday, originated at the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Roswell.
Officials said July 3 that E. Coli bacteria levels, over 300 times greater than safe recreation levels, were detected in the river last week thanks to a monitoring program by the National Parks Service and the nonprofit Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
After the high bacteria levels were confirmed, the spill was tracked to Fulton County’s Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility which sits on the banks of the Chattahoochee River in Roswell and treats wastewater for North Fulton communities.
Fulton County officials have found no physical leak in their system at the facility but say the sewage spill was caused by an issue in the biological processes used to treat wastewater.
Other representatives with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources said that some of the 12 sand filters at the Big Creek facility, responsible for filtering nutrients and fine particles from water have failed, causing other impurities to possibly enter the river.
“Fulton County has reported this issue to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division,” Jessica A. Corbitt-Dominguez, director of Fulton County’s Department of External Affairs said. “We support the decision of the National Park Service to extend the partial closure of the Chattahoochee River until this matter is resolved. We also express our appreciation to the Chattahoochee River Keeper for their work in monitoring water quality and raising this issue.”
After the spill was discovered, officials initially closed the river from the Chattahoochee Nature Center to Johnson Ferry and Whitewater Creek. But the closure was later expanded to include all…
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