Riverkeepers threaten to sue Atlanta over treated wastewater dumped into Chattahoochee River

ATLANTA — The clock is ticking for the city of Atlanta to fix issues at the largest water treatment plant in Georgia or face a federal lawsuit.

The Chattahoochee Riverkeepers gave a 60-day notice of intent to sue, which is required under the Clean Water Act.

“Essentially, what we have done is put the city on notice. You have 60 days to get this fixed, or we will hold you accountable in federal court,” Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Jason Ulseth said.

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The focus is on the RM Clayton plant.

The wastewater treatment facility is the largest in Georgia, responsible for treating around 80 million gallons of wastewater a day before releasing it back to the Chattahoochee River.

“To help put that in perspective. If you are downstream of Atlanta and the river is low like it is today approximately one gallon out of every five is their treated wastewater,” Ulseth said.

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

“Basically, people coming in contact with that water were very likely to contract an illness,” Ulseth said.

In March, Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources inspected the RM Clayton Plant.

They found broken or offline equipment at nearly every step of the wastewater treatment process.

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

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

The E. Coli levels are down after the facility used chlorine to help kill bacteria.

However, that may result in the death of fish later this summer.

“We need to look at upgrades for the equipment across this plant from where the sewage comes into the plant until it goes out,” Atlanta City Councilman Dustin Hillis said.

The plant is in Hillis’ district.

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

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

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

In that letter, the department director pointed to improvements and repairs underway to improve the facility, including repairs on seven of the ten secondary clarifiers.

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