Yes, the Chattahoochee will appear a little extra brown in the near future, as city officials have been given no choice but to dump dookie and minimally treated wastewater into the river.
Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Rob Hunter this morning told reporters that serious flooding has shut down the city’s R.M. Clayton wastewater treatment plant in Northwest Atlanta and forced the department to dump raw sewage into the river.
The plant, which Hunter said is the largest in the Southeast, has sustained damages in the “tens of millions of dollars.” On an average day, it can treat 180 million gallons of poop-tinged liquid. As the AJC notes, it’s part of the city’s controversial combined sewage overflow project.
“It’s not imperiling or causing a problem for any drinking water supplies, but people need to minimize contact with the Chattahoochee River and all flood waters,” Hunter said. The city has already lined up contractors to make repairs and made first steps to qualify for federal assistance. But until the R.M. Clayton plant is back up and running, more sewage will be discharged into the river.
Sally Bethea of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper says the sewage discharge’s long-term impact on the waterway depends on when watershed officials fix R.M. Clayton — and how long the flooding continues.
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Up in New York City, residents, visitors and real estate agents are all agog over the High Line, a groundbreaking greenspace project that converted abandoned elevated railroad tracks into a breathtaking park. Take a look at photos and see for yourself.
