City of Atlanta

Department of Watershed Management

Press Release

September 25, 2009 – By commandeering spare parts from the South River and Utoy water reclamation centers, Department staff were able to repair two of the four banks of ultraviolet lights that provide the final stage of treatment for wastewater flowing through the RM Clayton treatment facility. The lamp banks were broken as floodwater from the Chattahoochee inundated the plant on Monday night. Ultraviolet light kills fecal bacteria. Additional parts to repair the remaining two light banks will be at the plant within days.

The plant’s secondary treatment system is still offline; however, the primary and tertiary treatment systems and all the Combined Sewer Overflow facilities are working properly. No untreated raw sewage has been discharged into the river since 10:30 pm on Tuesday. DWM personnel and contractors have been working around the clock to pump the remaining river water out of the plant, clean mud from equipment and roads, repair systems and assess the damage, still estimated to be in the tens of millions of dollars.

“I can’t say enough about the effort our staff has put forth to get RM Clayton back
online,” Commissioner Hunter said. “Through their work, they dramatically reduced the amount of untreated sewage that went into the river from the plant.

The Commissioner continues to urge people to stay out of the river, noting that aside from the presence of bacteria from raw sewage, river levels remain high and dangerous.

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The Department of Watershed Management provides drinking water and wastewater collection and treatment services to more than 1 million people over a 650-square-mile area.

Press releases