State environmental regulators have proposed fining the city of Atlanta nearly $300,000 for wastewater violations at the RM Clayton treatment plant that have at times polluted the Chattahoochee River with contaminants, including E. coli, ammonia and fecal bacteria.
The proposed enforcement order, issued Feb. 3 by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, is the latest salvo in a yearslong struggle between environmentalists, the city, the state and federal regulators over Atlanta’s water pollution issues.
Many of those issues center on the RM Clayton wastewater treatment plant located in northwest Atlanta, which is permitted to discharge as much as 100 million gallons of treated wastewater every day into the river.
According to the proposed order, the plant suffered from numerous equipment and operational failures resulting in dozens of major spills into the Chattahoochee of improperly treated water. It says the city’s “failure to properly operate and maintain” the facility violates its permit and clean water rules.
Subsequent inspections found that some remediation has taken place, the proposed order says. If implemented as written, the city would pay a fine of $290,817, and would be required to follow a plan to correct the issues and file regular progress reports.
Atlanta City Council must vote on the matter before the city can agree to the order and pay the fine. Mayor Andre Dickens’ office did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, a nonprofit that helped bring the alleged violations to light, said the proposed order “falls short.” The riverkeeper has also filed a federal lawsuit against the city over alleged Clean Water Act violations.
“Just last year, Atlanta signed on to a similar settlement agreement with EPD and the illegal pollution continued,” Jason Ulseth, the riverkeeper’s executive director, said in a statement. “At this point, we believe a federal enforcement order is the only way to force meaningful change, so we will continue to pursue our federal case.”
Last May, the city was fined $163,056 for a litany of violations, including raw sewage spills into state waters at RM Clayton and other facilities.
The RM Clayton plant is not the city’s only problem. In September, Atlanta was fined $40,000 for combined sewer overflows at its Custer Avenue facility on the east side.
A note of disclosure
This coverage is supported by a partnership with Green South Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. You can learn more and support our climate reporting by donating at ajc.com/donate/climate/
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