Atlanta, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper reach settlement over wastewater treatment plant pollution
The City of Atlanta and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper have settled a years-long lawsuit over pollution from one of the city's wastewater treatment plants.
In 2024, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming that the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center, Atlanta's largest wastewater treatment facility, violated the Clean Water Act by dumping harmful levels of bacteria into the river.
The organization said that water samples showed spikes in E. coli bacteria and filed the lawsuit to force the city to quickly act to fix issues at the plant.
Inspections by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division in March 2024 showed that the facility needed repairs to multiple pieces of equipment, including the tanks designed to help purify water passing through the system.
In the new settlement, the Department of Watershed Management reaffirmed its commitment to millions of dollars of upgrades and repairs, as well as the installation of new equipment. As a result of the ongoing work, the plant is now in compliance with its permit today.
"These investments have already improved water quality in the Chattahoochee River for Atlanta residents and communities downstream," the Riverkeeper said in a release. "With the resolution of this lawsuit, CRK looks forward to working with the City to protect water quality in the Chattahoochee River for the benefit of all the people and wildlife that depend on it."
The organization said that it has not detected elevated E. coli bacteria in the facility's outfall since September 2024.