Facilities

Water Reclamation
R.M. Clayton WRC 2440 Bolton Road, NW Atlanta, GA 30318

R. M. Clayton WRC

The R. M. Clayton WRC is located at 2440 Bolton Road in northwest Atlanta along the Chattahoochee River. The facility provides wastewater treatment for a service area that encompasses the City of Atlanta primarily north of I-20, a small portion of north Fulton County adjacent to Sandy Springs, and most of north DeKalb County. The facility is designed to treat an average daily maximum month flow of 122 million gallons per day (mgd) of wastewater for discharge to the Chattahoochee River under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit.

The R.M. Clayton WRC was constructed in 1935. Recent upgrades include new screening and grit removal facilities, conversion and expansion of the existing aeration tanks to optimize biological carbon oxidation, nitrification and phosphorus removal, the addition of secondary clarifiers, effluent filtration, ultraviolet disinfection and post-aeration. Other related improvements include additional sludge thickening centrifuges and odor control systems.

The treatment process removes biological and chemical impurities from the wastewater making it suitable for discharge to the Chattahoochee River in three phases: primary treatment, secondary treatment, and tertiary treatment. The primary treatment process begins with the removal of floatable and settleable solids. Removed solids are hauled to a landfill for disposal. Next, biological treatment during the secondary treatment phase reduces the concentration of organic and chemical pollutants. Finally, tertiary treatment removes the remaining suspended solids, disinfects the treated water using ultraviolet radiation, and increases dissolved oxygen concentrations before discharging to the Chattahoochee River. The biological solids that are removed during the wastewater treatment process are reduced in the digestion process before being dewatered and incinerated or hauled to a landfill.