City of Atlanta CDP

Wastewater Systems

The City of Atlanta and the surrounding region have grown tremendously in the last 100 years.  While growth is essential to maintaining economic vitality, it needs to enhance and blend with the environment.  As the region grows, the demand on existing infrastructure increases, and we are faced with greater challenges in managing wastewater and stormwater, and in protecting our rivers and streams.

A comprehensive coordinated program is currently underway to protect streams and rivers, and the general public from pollutants found in wastewater.  This program includes an unprecedented number of environmental program initiatives involving Atlanta’s water reclamation centers and sewer and storm drainage systems.  By eliminating water quality violations caused by combined sewer (CSO) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSO), as well as providing a higher level of treatment at City Wastewater facilities, Atlanta is making lasting, positive changes in the way we impact the environment. 

Current Conditions

Atlanta’s wastewater and stormwater systems, like those in many other older American cities, have evolved over time.  More than 100 years ago, wastewater from homes and stormwater that fell on roads and rooftops was diverted directly to streams without treatment.  As the streams became polluted, they were covered or diverted to pipes.  Pipes that collect both stormwater and wastewater are called combined sewers.  Atlanta’s combined sewer system is located in the central part of Atlanta. Outside the area serviced by the combined sewer system, the sanitary sewer and storm drainage systems are separate.  

Not long after the turn of the century, wastewater treatment facilities were built to collect and treat the flow from these combined sewers, which during dry weather, is virtually all wastewater.  But during wet weather, the volume of stormwater can be too great for the small pipes and facilities.  So overflows were placed in the pipes to allow unusually high flows to be discharged into streams before they reached the treatment facilities.  These overflow points are called combined sewer overflows (CSOs).  The City hasseven CSO points and includes Tanyard Creek, Greensferry, Clear Creek, North Avenue, McDaniel Street, Intrenchment Creek, and Custer Avenue.

The City's Division of Wastewater Services operates four water reclamation centers (WRCs) which service Atlanta, portions of Decatur, East Point, Hapeville, Forest Park, College Park and certain unincorporated areas of Fulton, and DeKalb Counties.  These plants are the R. M. Clayton, Utoy Creek, Intrenchment Creek and South River Water Reclamation Centers (see Map 10-1 and Map 10-2).  A small portion of southwest Atlanta is serviced by the Camp Creek plant, which is operated by Fulton County.  Table 10.5 ‘Average Annual Flow for City of Atlanta WRCs (MGD)’  provides capacity volumes for each WRC and shows volume of wastewater treated each year from 1990 to 2000.  

Notes:  Volumes based on annualized average daily flow, in million gallons per day (mgd).

Intrenchment Creek Plant operations are included in South River Plant operation statistics.

The newly created Department of Watershed Management is responsible for construction and maintenance of over two thousand miles of sanitary and combined sewer facilities, as well as over sixty thousand drainage structures.  Map 10-1 depicts Atlanta's drainage basins and major rivers and streams. There are 15 drainage basins in the City of Atlanta.  They include Peachtree, Utoy, Nancy, Long Island, Proctor, Terrell, Sandy, Indian, Camp, Intrenchment, Sugar, Federal Prison, South Fork and North Fork of Peachtree Creeks, and South River basins.  To date, the inventory and master plans of 10 of them have been completed.  These represent 111 square miles, which is 83% of the entire city.  As funding becomes available, it is the intent of the City to complete the remaining basins over the next 4 years.  To date, at least 30% of the projects identified within the study has either been constructed or is in the process.

Some older neighborhoods in North Atlanta were developed with septic tanks.  As those tanks age, some are reaching the end of their usable life of approximately forty-five years and are failing.  Storm sewer facilities consist, for the most part, of catch basins and discharge piping into the receiving stream.  The majority of structures do not have grates and traps, and often times the receiving stream becomes polluted with roadside debris, litter and oil residue from direct discharge into the stream.  Other drainage facilities include culverts and open channels.  Storm drainage of Atlanta's central area is through the combined storm and sanitary sewer system. 

Outside the central combined sewer area, the sanitary sewer system consists of pipes that convey wastewater via gravity and pump stations to the WRCs for treatment.  The sanitary sewer system sometimes overflows causing sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).  These SSOs are cause by inflow and infiltration of stormwater into the sanitary system as well as capacity issues. 

Federal regulations mandate that all major municipalities must make a formal application to the EPA for a permit to discharge stormwater to the nations' creeks and rivers.  As part of its joint application with other governments in the Atlanta region, the City submitted a detailed listing of all its major discharge outfall lines, together with a comprehensive stormwater management plan.  The City has submitted both the Part 1 and Part 2 applications within the required deadlines.  Both of these documents have been approved and the City was issued a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in 1994.  Since then, the City has met its entire permit obligation and is in full compliance with its EPA regulations.

Anticipated Future Conditions

The Atlanta Regional Commission uses adopted forecasts for households, population and employment trends, to determine wastewater flow projections.  Currently available projections are listed for the four City wastewater treatment plants (see Table 10.6 ‘Wastewater Flow Forecasts, 2000-2020’).

Improvements to the water reclamation centers (WRCs) are required by Senate Bill 500, the 1999 First Amended Consent Decree, and NPDES permits. To date, all Senate Bill 500 deadlines have been met.  NPDES permit and 1999 First Amended Consent Decree deadlines have been met.

Major capital improvements have been constructed at the South River, Intrenchment Creek, R. M. Clayton and Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Centers to provide for operation at full capacity at the present permitted effluent concentration levels.  The Georgia Environmental Protection Division will be tightening the NPDES effluentlimits in 2004.  The City is currently evaluating the impact of the new regulations on the ability of the water reclamation centers to meet the new standards.

Currently, no comprehensive projections are available for future impacts on the City’s sanitary sewer and drainage systems.  A Master Plan for the City Water and Wastewater System is getting underway.  Basin studies, currently underway, will identify problems and potential solutions.  These studies are focusing on projected high growth areas in North and West Atlanta, which are outside of the combined sewer area.  Repairs to the sanitary sewer system are ongoing to address capacity concerns.  No building permits can be issued for new construction unless the City can certify that sanitary sewer capacity is available to accommodate the new construction.

A comprehensive repair and capacity improvement program will begin in 2001 for the combined sewer system.  Improvements are intended to relieve stormwater flooding and to provide adequate capacity through 2020. 

Current Policies

1. Continue compliance with established state and federal regulations for wastewater treatment. 
2. Continue to support operational programs and implementation of capital projects, which facilitate compliance with mandated treatment levels.
3. Continue implementation of improvements to the City's wastewater treatment plants in order to assure that permitted capacity is available to accommodate future wastewater treatment demand.
4. Develop and implement pollution prevention programs to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff and wastewater discharge.
5. Provide sufficient treatment plant capacity to accommodate future service area needs.
6. Support all efforts for industrial and commercial pre-treatment programs to comply with state and federal regulations.
7. Provide for odor control at all four water reclamation centers as needed.
8. Support the Citizen Stream Monitoring Program and the City’s Adopt-a-Stream program to encourage education and participation of citizens and businesses in the prevention of non-point source pollution of surface water.
9. Design and upgrade wastewater treatment plants with appropriate buffers so as to mitigate any adverse environmental impacts upon surrounding land uses.
10. Implement strategy for beneficial reuse of bio-solids and treated effluent at the Water Reclamation Centers.
11. Comply with all applicable regulations concerning bio-solids, water reuse and effluent disposal.
12. Provide adequate capacity for wastewater flow from developed and developing areas.
13. Support recommendations that wastewater infrastructure for single identifiable developments or clusters of developments should be developer financed.
14. Assure sufficiency of funds through review of demand on the Water and Sewer Revenue Fund.
15. Maintain the environmental integrity of sewer outfall easements.
16. Support the recommendations of the sanitary sewer basin studies and implement the recommended improvements of the sanitary sewer basin studies, focusing on the combined sewer areas, which have the oldest sewer pipes.
17. Implement sewer projects, which address capacity and structural deficiencies and ground water infiltration/exfiltration.
18. Continue and enhance programs of sewer condition monitoring and system renovation to assure system integrity. 
19. Continue to expand the sewer system to include areas currently served by septic tanks as the affected residents’ request that expansion.
20. Support the recommendations of the City of Atlanta Drainage Basin Study.
21. Reduce impacts of stormwater through the construction and maintenance of drainage facilities such as detention/retention basins, storm sewers, infiltration areas, stream bank protection, and wetland creation.
22. Finance and set a target date for the completion of the City of Atlanta Drainage Basin Study in order to determine citywide priorities and the level of cost effectiveness for various recommended projects.
23. Establish a dedicated funding source for drainage improvements.  Alternatives could include: general obligation bond; dedicated millage rate; or a stormwater utility.
24. Adopt and implement a funding alternative in order to proceed with a comprehensive drainage improvement program.
25. Determine and implement Best Management Practices (BMPs) with regard to watershed, floodplains and wetlands protection.
26. Provide staff and resources to regulate and monitor stormwater discharges and provide public education consistent with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Regulations as mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Federal Register CFR 122 through 124, November 16, 1990).
27. Maintain and implement stream bank protection measures.
28. Continue to support the Citizen Stream Monitoring Program to encourage citizen and business education and participation in prevention of non-point source pollution.
29. Support and lobby for legislation that requires Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce stormwater run-off volumes and improve stormwater run-off quality into the City's drainage infrastructure and natural drainage system.
30. Investigate the use of bioengineering techniques to restore eroded stream banks.
31. Work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the surrounding jurisdictions to complete and implement the Metro Atlanta Watershed Studies.

Current Programs and Projects

1. The 1998 Federal Consent Decree commits the City of Atlanta to a program of activities designed to further improve water quality in Metro Atlanta streams and the Chattahoochee and South Rivers.  The Consent Decree includes specific actions the City will undertake to improve CSO facilities and a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), which has two primary components:  the Greenway Acquisition Project and the Metro Atlanta Stream Cleanup Project.

2. The 1999, First Amended Consent Decree commits the City to make improvements to the water reclamation centers (WRCs), the sanitary sewer system and pump stations.  Much of the work mandated in the First Amended Consent Decree builds on City programs already underway, including activities associated with assessment of current sewer line conditions and management plans to operate the collection system more effectively.

3. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers General Investigation Program, authorized by House Resolution 2445 of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the United States House of Representatives, is currently conducting feasibility phase studies on the Metro Atlanta Watersheds, Peachtree, Nancy, Utoy, Sandy, and Proctor Creeks.  The purpose of the feasibility phase studies is to develop and evaluate alternatives for implementing solutions to water resource problems.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, and the non-Federal sponsors including the City of Atlanta, DeKalb County, and Fulton County have all developed this project management plan as a cooperative effort.

4. The Department of Watershed Management is implementing a plan for a long-term sewer system evaluation program (SSES), which will enable it to prioritize future rehabilitation and capital improvement projects as well as certify capacity.

5. Ongoing implementation of completed City of Atlanta Drainage Basin study recommendations.

6. In an ongoing effort to extend the life of existing pipes, the annual Cured-in-Place Pipe Contract is allotted monies each year to repair pipes to reduce infiltration and inflow of stormwater.  In 2000, 69,400 feet of pipe were repaired under this contract at a cost of $4.4 million.  In 2001, a minimum of 100,000 feet of pipe is expected to be repaired at a cost of approximately $7.5 million.  The Cured-in- Place process adds 50 years to the life of the existing pipe.

7. The Rivers Road Pilot Study was undertaken in 2001 and is to serve as a model for the larger Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) project under the 1999 First Amended Consent Decree. The Rivers Road study area was selected because it is deemed to be one of the worst areas in the City of Atlanta for infiltration and inflow (I&I).  The study area will receive approximately 5,000 feet of pipe bursting and approximately 5,000 feet of cured-in-place rehabilitation. The goal of this project is demonstrate the ability to reduce I&I throughout a sewer mini-basin through the use of the above techniques in a comprehensive fashion.  Additionally, the City hopes to provide the blueprint for an all-encompassing sanitary sewer rehabilitation project that can enlist neighborhood cooperation. When completed, the project will provide valuable information for future projects on such factors as cost, time, and degree of neighborhood distribution.

2004 Current Programs and Projects

Project List 10-4: 2004 CDP Environmental Facilities Current Programs and Projects – Wastewater Systems

WSRE=Water and Sewer Renewal and Extension Fund; WSRB=Water and Sewer Revenue Bond  

2004 Completed Programs and Projects

Project List 10-5: 2004 CDP Environment Facilities Completed Programs and Projects – Wastewater Systems 

2004 New Programs and Projects

Project List 10-6: 2004 CDP Environmental Facilities New Programs and Projects – Wastewater Systems

WSRE=Water and Sewer Renewal and Extension WSRE=Water and Sewer Renewal and Extension Fund; WSRB=Water and Sewer Revenue Bond  

2004 Current Programs and Projects - Storm Water

The City of Atlanta is required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to address water pollution associated with stormwater runoff in the City. It is a fact that stormwater runoff is a major contributor of pollutants to the many creeks and rivers in the metro area. In addition to pollution control requirements, the City faces significant improvements for flood controls.

The City intends to create a stormwater management utility and establish a stormwater utility fee to pay for the City's share of costs for stormwater pollution prevention and flood control projects. Stormwater related pollution abatement programs are estimated to cost greater than $300 million in the next few years.

As part of this program the City will initiate programs to monitor stormwater for pollutants, improve stormwater system maintenance, and provide educational activities to individuals, businesses and agencies impacting stormwater.

The City must adopt a Stormwater Ordinance establishing standards for keeping stormwater clean. Best Management Practices (BMPs) for specific areas such as residential, retail, industrial, and construction activities will be studied, developed, and implemented. In combination, these programs will reduce stormwater pollution. These activities support the goal of the City to minimize the pollutants from the City storm drain system entering the Chattahoochee and Ocmulgee River Basins.

Anticipated Services of the Stormwater Utility include, but are not limited to the following:

• Customer services
• Public information
• General engineering services
• Planning
• NPDES Storm Water Permit compliance
• Management of capital improvement programs
• Construction and maintenance
• Street cleaning
• Streambank stabilization
• Flooding mitigation/floodplain acquisition

The stormwater utility will provide a dedicated revenue source for stormwater management.  The stormwater utility will operate similarly to water or sewer charges which are funded through service fees and administered separately from the general fund ensuring stable and adequate support for these public services. 

Based on engineering estimates for over 3,300 complaint investigations, the City has approximately $56 million in capital improvements in stormwater projects for 10 watershed basins (Utoy, Terrell, Sugar, South River, Proctor, Peachtree, Nancy, Intrenchment, Indian and Federal Prison Creeks).  These improvements predominantly consist of problems such as erosion, flooding, and drainage.  The capital improvements do not relate to upstream/downstream corrections or water quality benefits.  Further engineering assessments are needed within the entire City limits for stormwater capital improvements.  The City issued a bond in 1994 totaling $54 million for stormwater improvements.  By the end of 2004, the City will begin a master planning effort to identify and prioritize stormwater improvements.  In addition, the City will be continually working with the US Army Corps of Engineers in the assessment of stormwater impacts and drainage basins.

To develop the stormwater utility, the City of Atlanta will be implementing the necessary steps to make certain that the utility is executed in 2004. 

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