The city of Atlanta has reached a settlement with the South River Watershed Alliance to resolve claims that construction of the public safety training center is polluting Intrenchment Creek.
Details of the agreement have not yet been revealed publicly through litigation between the alliance, the city and the Atlanta Police Foundation.
The alliance, an environmental protection group, sued the city and police foundation in August 2023, hoping to halt construction of the training center. The group claimed that stormwater discharges from the construction site ran afoul of the project’s state-issued permit, in violation of the Clean Water Act.
In January, the Atlanta-based federal judge overseeing the case denied the alliance’s request to halt construction while the case was litigated. In August, the judge denied the city and police foundation’s request to dismiss the case.
The alliance and the city told the judge in late October that they had “reached an agreement that is expected to resolve all claims against all parties in this case.” The judge then paused the litigation in anticipation of the settlement being finalized.
The parties have until late December to tell the judge whether they want to end the case with the settlement or continue to fight in court.
Representatives for the parties did not immediately comment on the agreement Monday.
A previous attempt by the South River Watershed Alliance to stop construction of the training center was shut down by a Fulton County judge.
The center, on an 85-acre site in unincorporated DeKalb County, is expected to open by the end of the year. Its cost has risen to more than $115 million. On Nov. 18, Atlanta City Council members approved $1.7 million for additional security measures at the site, which has been repeatedly targeted by protesters opposed to the facility.
Dozens of protesters have been indicted.
Litigation over a referendum about the project’s use of taxpayer money remains pending in the Atlanta-based federal appeals court.
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