Fulton's new water treatment plant designed to be ‘very good' neighbor

It's one thing to set up a water treatment plant near the Chattahoochee River; it's another to be a good neighbor.

Fulton County thinks it is doing both with the grand opening Friday of the new Johns Creek Environmental Center.

The 42-acre complex sits along the river's west bank on Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell, one of three water treatment plants the county runs in north Fulton. But at this plant, all the processes involved with wastewater treatment are enclosed and odorous gases are treated prior to release.

"It's pretty amazing," said Angela Parker, director of Fulton County Public Works. "There's virtually no odor. There's virtually no noise. From the standpoint of the adjoining properties, we'll be a very good and stable neighbor."

The facility is built of red brick, matching the general architecture of Roswell's Fire Station 7 directly across Holcomb Bridge Road. The plant is bordered by more than 30 acres of green space -- all irrigated with reclaimed water -- that abuts Roswell's Garrard Park.

"They wanted it to look like something that would fit in," said senior operator William Francis. "What they decided on was the appearance of an old mill."

While it blends in with its surroundings, the plant stands out for its technology. The $137 million facility  is one of the largest water treatment plants in the country using membrane biological reactor technology, a purification system that produces higher quality water in less space.

The plant is licensed to treat and release 15 million gallons of wastewater a day, more than twice what is allowed at the Johns Creek Water Reclamation Facility on Riverbirch Lane, which is scheduled to go offline soon. The water is returned to the Chattahoochee, Fulton's primary source of drinking water, much cleaner than when it was removed.

MBR technology employs hollow fiber strands that filter solids up to 0.45 microns, small enough to stop most bacteria, Francis said. A human hair is about 100 microns.

The strands, referred to as ZeeWeed, hang vertically in cassettes, swaying as screened effluent circulates around them. The wave action helps solids rub off the membrane surface, keeping them clear of obstruction, Francis said. A chlorine pulse washes off whatever is left.

The filtered water is sucked up through the strand and piped to the final stages of the treatment process.

The facility also has educational potential. It has a laboratory, lecture hall and classroom, and students have toured the plant since it went online last summer. Officials also hope to use the surrounding grounds as an "outdoor laboratory" to display landscaping techniques and water gardens.

Friday's dedication will end what began as a contentious process seven years ago when Fulton decided to build the plant on land owned by Roswell. Residents and nearby developers were concerned a sewage treatment plant would depreciate land values.

Roswell Mayor Jere Wood said one concern he worked out with the late Commissioner Bob Fulton was to share the green space around the facility adjoining Garrard Park. But after Fulton died in 2004 that arrangement became cloudy, Wood said.

"I'm optimistic now that they are finished that we will be able to revive that and have a shared park," Wood said. "Citizens don't care whose land it is as long as they can use it, and we're hoping they'll open up some of their land for folks who come to our park."

Otherwise, Wood said he's pleased with the facility. But he does have one reservation.

"I think they picked the wrong name," he said. "I don't think it's appropriate to call it after our neighboring city, because it's not in Johns Creek and it's not on Johns Creek. It's in Roswell."