Chattahoochee River reopens after being closed because of contamination in late June
Water in Chattahoochee River safe again
The Chattahoochee River is safe. That announcement was made by the National Park Service earlier, nearly 3 weeks after a massive sewer spill. That spill from one of Fulton County’s water treatment facilities sent E.coli levels soaring making it dangerous for even dogs to be in.
ATLANTA - All sections of the Chattahoochee River are now open after being contaminated by sewage, according to the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
Several miles of the river was closed in June because of elevated E. coli contamination stemming from a release at Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility operated by Fulton County.
The bacterial levels are now below the criteria recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to recreation officials.
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The park has conducted tests daily since detecting the spill and U.S. Public Health Service officials reportedly supported the reopening after seeing continual improvement in the test results.
"We plan on demanding a full explanation about what happened," said Jess Sterling, technical director of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. "Until we understand that the county has put in the proper corrective actions to ensure that an event like this doesn’t happen again, we are going to continue to monitor and really sure the water is safe."
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The park says it is currently assessing impacts on wildlife, vegetation and aquatic resources. The BacteriALERT partnership with CRK and the U.S. Geological Survey will continue to monitor water quality at Medlock Bridge, Powers Island, and Paces Mill.
Fulton County statement on reopening of the Chattahoochee River:
"Fulton County is pleased that the National Park Service has reopened the recreational areas along the Chattahoochee River. Our focus over the last two weeks has been a full restoration of the biological processes within the Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility. That goal has been achieved and the plant is operating within its permit parameters for E Coli and fecal coliform.
"We are now working to determine the cause of this incident. We have conducted a primary pollutant scan and are reviewing preliminary information about those test results. In the coming days we will begin identifying possible sources of the chemical identified in the scan and will be sharing our findings with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division."