Chattahoochee River still sees E. coli elevations month after ‘emergency situation’

ATLANTA - The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is still observing occasional spikes in E. coli levels a month after the organization raised the alarm over millions of gallons of improperly treated sewage ending up in the river due to a malfunction at an Atlanta water treatment facility.

The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is continuing long-term repairs to the clarifier units at the R. M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center. This facility typically releases about 80 million gallons of treated sewage into the river daily. However, according to the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, the facility's temporary controls are not 100% effective.

This is substantiated by four samples collected by the organization, one of which came back showing high levels of E. coli.

The organization recommends that anyone heading out to the river be cautious of avoiding exposure to open wounds to the water and by using plenty of hand sanitizer.

Watershed managers state that they are developing a corrective action plan, but the temporary clarifier units remain in operation.