Atlanta settles lawsuit over pollution released into Chattahoochee River
The city of Atlanta and the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper have reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit the nonprofit filed against the city in 2024, claiming its wastewater treatment plants had repeatedly released poorly treated sewage into the waterway.
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper sued Atlanta in federal court in September 2024 after the group’s water monitors detected high levels of bacteria and other pollutants in the wastewater the city was discharging into the river.
The lawsuit mainly focused on the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center in northwest Atlanta, the city’s largest sewage treatment plant. R.M. Clayton is allowed to send as much as 100 million gallons of treated wastewater every day into the Chattahoochee.
But only certain amounts of E. coli, ammonia, phosphorus and other pollutants can remain in the wastewater the plant releases to the river.
The lawsuit claimed R.M Clayton exceeded its pollution limits at least 79 times between July 2023 and July 2024, violating the federal Clean Water Act and its state permit. During one stretch in March 2024, samples the riverkeeper collected showed E. coli levels that were 340 times the plant’s allowed monthly average.
In 2024, a follow-up inspection of R.M. Clayton by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Georgia Environmental Protection Division staff found much of the plant’s sewage treatment infrastructure in varying states of disrepair. Atlanta was later fined around $300,000 by EPD for related infractions.
The settlement unveiled this week ends the legal dispute, and both the city and the riverkeeper now say Atlanta’s wastewater treatment had improved over the last 18 months.
As part of the agreement, the city has agreed to spend an estimated $55 million over the next five years to complete a series of upgrades at R.M. Clayton. Atlanta will also pay $400,000 to the Southern Environmental Law Center, which represented the riverkeeper in the case, to cover legal fees and other costs.
The Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s executive director, Jason Ulseth, praised Mayor Andre Dickens, Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Greg Eyerly and their staff for their commitment to the health of the Chattahoochee River.
“The City’s investments in R.M. Clayton will improve water quality in the Chattahoochee River for city of Atlanta residents and communities downstream,” Ulseth said in a statement.
In a statement, Eyerly said the settlement “reflects the power of collaboration and our shared responsibility to invest in clean water.”
“The improvements at the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center are not just about meeting regulatory standards — they’re about safeguarding a vital natural resource for future generations,” Eyerly added.
On top of the infrastructure improvements, the city also agreed to provide quarterly updates to the nonprofit and hold an annual meeting with riverkeeper staff to discuss progress, among other stipulations.
About the Author
Drew Kann is a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering climate change and environmental issues. His passion is for stories that capture how humans are responding to a changing environment. He is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia and Northwestern University, and prior to joining the AJC, he held various roles at CNN.
