Forsyth County officials said Wednesday the county plans to appeal the decision last week by Administrative Law Judge Kristin Miller rejecting a permit issued to the county by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
The judge ruled the permit, which would have allowed Forsyth to discharge as much as six million gallons of treated waste water a day into the Chattahoochee River, violated state and federal laws because the level of contaminants it allowed would degrade the river.
Riverkeeper filed the suit last September. The litigation has been costly. So far, the county has approved $390,000 in legal fees to fight the suit.
During the hearing, Forsyth officials said the cost of purifying the water to Riverkeeper standards, could cost several hundred thousands of dollars a year, depending on the volume of water discharged.
Forsyth County has argued other water systems have permits with similar standards issued by EPD. UCR executive director Sally Bethea last week called the judge's decision a “major victory for clean water for all people who recreate in the river and downstream lakes.”
Forsyth officials declined Wednesday afternoon to elaborate on the appeal.
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