Gwinnett spends $136M to modernize county’s oldest wastewater facility

Gwinnett officials recently completed the four-year renovation to the Crooked Creek wastewater treatment plant in Norcross. (Courtesy of Gwinnett County)

Credit: Gwinnett County

Credit: Gwinnett County

Gwinnett officials recently completed the four-year renovation to the Crooked Creek wastewater treatment plant in Norcross. (Courtesy of Gwinnett County)

An update to one of Gwinnett’s oldest facilities will help the county more efficiently treat sewage and other wastewater before sending it into the Chattahoochee River, officials announced Tuesday.

Local leaders celebrated the completion of a $136 million renovation to the Crooked Creek facility on Plant Drive in Peachtree Corners. The plant’s modernization took four years to complete, during which it received two yearly awards for large wastewater treatment plants from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals.

“Despite the challenges of rehabilitating this facility while it was still operating, Crooked Creek continued to function normally and received no violations,” County Commission Chairwoman Nicole Hendrickson said in a news release. “This highlights the hard work put in by the Department of Water Resources and the employees who serve the county daily.”

Renovations to the plant — purchased by the county in 1972 — include upgrades to electrical and computer systems, odor control systems, biological reactor basins, solids handling, UV system and clarifiers.

The facility includes 2.3 million feet of wiring and cable, about the same distance between Atlanta and Orlando, Florida, according to the release.

“This is an example of Gwinnett’s commitment to providing high-quality water and wastewater treatment services to our residents, maintaining a functioning sewer collection system and discharging treated water in an environmentally responsible way,” County Commissioner Ben Ku said in the release.