Forsyth County to appeal judge's water permit ruling

By Jeffry Scott

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Forsyth County’s dispute with the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper environmental group over a state discharge permit will go at least one more round of litigation.

The county said it is appealing a decision last week by Administrative Law Judge Kristin Miller, who ruled that the permit issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division -- allowing the county to discharge as much as 6 million gallons of treated waste water into the Chattahoochee every day -- violates state and federal law because the level of contaminates it allows would degrade the river.

Riverkeeper filed the suit last September. So far the county has allocated almost $400,000 to fighting it. District 4 Commissioner Patrick Bell said Thursday the county has little choice but to continue the fight.

"Our capital costs to do what the Riverkeeper is asking us to do would be about $10 million in additions to the treatment plant, and that doesn't include the costs of treating the water," Bell said.

During an administrative hearing this spring county officials said purifying the water to Riverkeeper standards could cost several hundred thousand dollars a year, depending on the volume of water discharged. The county said it is being held to a stricter standard than other water systems.

Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Executive Director Sally Bethea said Thursday she is not surprised the county is appealing the ruling, "but we are disappointed. It is simply not in the best interest of Forsyth taxpayers for this litigation to continue, given the clear ruling from Judge Miller and the county’s technical and economic ability to comply with clean water laws.”