11-02-2025
‘Maintenance failures:' Almost $300,000 fines proposed against City of Atlanta over sewage spills
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division proposed fining the City of Atlanta almost $300,000 over continued maintenance failures at the RM Clayton Water Reclamation Plant.
According to the documents published by EPD, the RM Clayton WRC 'has experienced numerous outfall spills and permit limit exceedances due to operational and maintenance failures at the facility,' with the latest proposed fines focused on issues from July 1, 2023 to Nov. 30, 2024.
The order was issued on Feb. 3, proposing a $290,817.33 settlement between Atlanta and EPD, as well as requirements for repairs and response to address 'elevated nutrients.'
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In layman's terms, state officials are proposing Atlanta pay close to $300,000 for the latest set of issues flagged by EPD and submit a plan to them for repairs at RM Clayton WRC, plus how they plan to address the pollutants that entered the water system.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, who said that as it was a state action and was pending, they would not provide comment, nor would the city.
Since the end of 2018, this is not the first time Atlanta has been ordered to pay a fine and make adjustments due to issues at RM Clayton WRC.
According to EPD records the most recent three were:
Nov. 29, 2018: $31,760.00 settlement
Jan. 9, 2019: $365,513.00 settlement
May 21, 2024: $163,056.81 settlement
The latest proposed settlement has a comment period through March 5, before it may take effect.
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