The State of Georgia has slapped the City of Atlanta with a sizeable $163,000 fine for spewing sewage into local waterways, as per a report from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). According to our review of documents, from July 2022 to June 2023, Atlanta’s wastewater treatment plants repeatedly released subpar waters into the Chattahoochee River and its tributaries, with 106 spills recorded.
Eight egregious mishaps involved over 10,000 gallons each, fouling the environment. A weighty enforcement order tagged the R.M. Clayton plant, Atlanta's largest, and others for failing to properly treat waste. In one instance, the EPD cited an "illicit substance" causing process failures, something the city couldn't trace to its source.
WABE reports an EPD inspection unearthed malfunctioning equipment and foam-ridden water at the R.M. Clayton facility bound for the river. Not even a month later, the very same plant was reeling from another dose of unidentified illegal substances leading to further infractions.
Adding to the tangle of woes, the EPD’s findings list a slew of spills at connected facilities, including the South River and Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Centers. The City of Atlanta, now on the clock, must fork over the penalty within one month and outline corrective and preventative strategies, including for handling of illicit substances that wreaked havoc at the R.M. Clayton plant.
Moreover, the city has a tight 90-day deadline to update the state on its infiltrating substance probe and future safegaurds, ensuring compliance and aiming to prevent history from dirtying the waters once more.
