City Of Atlanta R M Clayton Water Reclamation Center

FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION

Plant Name: R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center

Location: 2440 Bolton Road NW, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

Operating Authority: City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM)

Design Capacity: 122 MGD (Average Daily Flow) / 240 MGD (Peak Hydraulic Capacity)

Current Average Flow: ~90-100 MGD

Population Served: Approximately 1.6 million (Regional Service Area)

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Service Area: City of Atlanta (North of I-20), Sandy Springs, and portions of North Fulton and DeKalb Counties

Receiving Water Body: Chattahoochee River

NPDES Permit Number: GA0021466

Year Commissioned: 1935 (Major expansions in 1970s, 2000s, and ongoing)

The R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center (WRC) stands as the largest wastewater treatment facility in the State of Georgia and one of the most critical infrastructure assets in the Southeastern United States. Operated by the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM), this massive facility possesses a permitted design capacity of 122 million gallons per day (MGD) with a peak hydraulic capacity reaching 240 MGD. The plant serves a dense urban corridor that includes the northern half of Atlanta, the City of Sandy Springs, and contracted flows from Fulton and DeKalb Counties.

Originally commissioned in 1935 as a primary treatment facility, R.M. Clayton has evolved through decades of capital improvements into an advanced secondary treatment facility. Its operational integrity is vital not only for the sanitation of the metropolitan area but for the ecological health of the Chattahoochee River—the primary drinking water source for millions downstream. Currently, the facility is the focal point of a multi-year, multi-million dollar capital improvement campaign aimed at modernizing aging headworks, enhancing nutrient removal capabilities, and ensuring compliance with stringent National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit limits.

Facility Overview

A. Service Area & Coverage

The R.M. Clayton WRC anchors the wastewater treatment network for the Metro Atlanta region. Its service area encompasses approximately a significant portion of the Whetstone Creek, Peachtree Creek, and Nancy Creek basins. The collection system feeding the plant is a complex matrix of gravity sewers, deep rock tunnels, and major lift stations designed to convey flow from both combined sewer (CSS) and separate sanitary sewer (SSS) areas. The facility serves a mixed demographic of high-density residential zones, the downtown/midtown commercial districts, and light industrial corridors, resulting in a complex influent profile.

B. Operational Capacity

While the permitted average daily flow (ADF) is 122 MGD, the plant typically treats between 80 and 100 MGD under dry weather conditions. However, due to Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) inherent in older municipal collection systems, wet weather events can rapidly escalate flows to the peak hydraulic limit of 240 MGD. The facility operates as a regional sludge processing hub, accepting solids from other smaller Atlanta-area plants, which adds significant loading to the solids handling train.

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C. Discharge & Compliance

Treated effluent is discharged directly into the Chattahoochee River. Because the river is a primary water source for downstream communities (including Columbus, GA, and parts of Alabama/Florida), the NPDES permit limits are exceptionally strict regarding biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), ammonia-nitrogen, and fecal coliform/E. coli. The facility utilizes advanced disinfection and post-aeration to ensure the effluent maintains sufficient dissolved oxygen levels to support aquatic life in the receiving water.

Treatment Process Description

The R.M. Clayton WRC utilizes a conventional activated sludge process augmented by advanced preliminary screening and tertiary filtration to meet high-quality effluent standards.

A. Preliminary Treatment (Headworks)

The headworks facility is the first line of defense, designed to remove inorganic debris that could damage downstream equipment. The system typically employs:

• Coarse and Fine Screens: Multi-stage mechanical bar screens (typically 6mm to 12mm spacing) remove rags, plastics, and large debris. Recent upgrades have focused on replacing aging climber screens with more robust perforated plate or multi-rake designs to handle high flushable wipe loading.
• Grit Removal: Aerated grit chambers utilize velocity control to settle out sand, gravel, and coffee grounds while keeping organic material in suspension.
• Odor Control: The headworks is enclosed and ventilated through chemical scrubbers (wet scrubbers) and biotrickling filters to mitigate H2S and organic odors affecting nearby neighborhoods.

B. Primary Treatment

Flow enters large rectangular primary clarifiers. Here, gravity settling removes approximately 30-40% of BOD and 50-70% of TSS. Primary sludge is pumped to the solids handling train, while scum is skimmed from the surface. The facility utilizes ferric chloride or alum addition at this stage during high-load periods to enhance settling and phosphorus precipitation.

C. Secondary Treatment

The biological heart of the plant is the activated sludge system.

• Aeration Basins: The plant utilizes plug-flow aeration basins equipped with fine-bubble diffusers to maximize oxygen transfer efficiency.
• Biological Process: The microbial biomass converts dissolved organic matter into settleable solids. The system is operated to achieve nitrification (conversion of ammonia to nitrate) to meet strict toxicity limits.
• Secondary Clarifiers: Mixed liquor flows into circular secondary clarifiers where biological floc settles. Return Activated Sludge (RAS) is recycled to the aeration basins, while Waste Activated Sludge (WAS) is sent to thickening.

D. Tertiary Treatment

To meet stringent effluent limits, particularly for TSS and Phosphorus, the plant employs tertiary filtration.

• Deep Bed Sand Filters: Effluent from secondary clarifiers passes through deep bed granular media filters. This polishing step is critical for removing fine particulate matter and associated phosphorus, ensuring turbidity limits are met before disinfection.

E. Disinfection

Historically a chlorination facility, R.M. Clayton transitioned to Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection. Flow passes through UV channels where high-intensity light inactivates pathogens (E. coli, Giardia, Crypto) without creating chlorinated disinfection byproducts. Following UV, the water undergoes cascade aeration to boost Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels before entering the Chattahoochee River.

F. Solids Handling

R.M. Clayton serves as a regional solids processing center.

• Thickening: Primary sludge is gravity thickened; WAS is thickened using Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) or rotary drum thickeners.
• Anaerobic Digestion: Thickened sludge is stabilized in mesophilic anaerobic digesters. This process reduces volatile solids and produces biogas (methane).
• Dewatering: Digested sludge is dewatered using high-solids centrifuges to produce a cake suitable for disposal.
• Disposal: Dewatered biosolids are largely transported to landfills, though the city evaluates options for composting and beneficial reuse.

Infrastructure & Facilities

A. Physical Plant

The site spans over 100 acres along the riverbank. It includes extensive administrative buildings, a fully equipped compliance laboratory, maintenance shops, and a dedicated SCADA control center. The layout is linear, following the hydraulic profile from the headworks at the higher elevation down to the river discharge.

B. Energy Systems

As a major energy consumer, R.M. Clayton has implemented energy recovery initiatives. The anaerobic digesters produce significant volumes of biogas. The facility has infrastructure for Cogeneration (Combined Heat and Power – CHP), utilizing methane to generate electricity and heat for the digestion process, although operational consistency of CHP units varies based on gas quality and maintenance cycles.

Recent Upgrades & Major Projects

The City of Atlanta has engaged in aggressive capital improvement planning (CIP) to address aging infrastructure and recent operational challenges.

Regulatory Compliance & Environmental Performance

A. Permit Requirements

Operating under NPDES Permit No. GA0021466, the facility faces some of the strictest discharge limits in the state due to the Chattahoochee River’s classification.

• Ammonia (NH3-N): Seasonal limits, often as low as 1.0 – 2.0 mg/L in summer months.
• Phosphorus: Strict load limits to prevent eutrophication in downstream reservoirs (West Point Lake).
• Bacteria: E. coli limits are monitored daily, with geometric mean requirements.

B. Compliance History

While historically a high-performing facility, R.M. Clayton faced significant challenges in 2023-2024. Aging infrastructure combined with illicit high-strength industrial discharges led to biological upsets and temporary permit limit exceedances for Ammonia and E. coli. This resulted in enforcement orders from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD). The City has since launched a comprehensive Corrective Action Plan (CAP) involving operational changes, aggressive maintenance, and expedited capital projects to ensure sustained compliance.

Operational Excellence & Staffing

The facility is staffed 24/7 by a team of state-certified wastewater operators, industrial mechanics, and instrumentation technicians. The City of Atlanta maintains a Class I facility classification, requiring the highest level of operator licensure (Class I) for shift supervisors.

• Lab Capabilities: An on-site certified laboratory performs daily process control testing (settleability, microscopy, pH, DO) and compliance monitoring.
• SCADA: A centralized SCADA system allows for real-time monitoring of flows, tank levels, dissolved oxygen profiles, and equipment status across the sprawling site.

Challenges & Future Planning

A. Current Challenges

• Aging Infrastructure: Much of the mechanical equipment installed during the 2000s expansion is reaching the end of its useful life simultaneously.
• Illicit Discharges: The plant has been vulnerable to “slug loads” of industrial illegal dumping, which can wipe out the biological nitrifying bacteria population.
• Biosolids Disposal: Regional landfill capacity for biosolids is shrinking, driving up costs and necessitating the exploration of alternative drying or thermal reduction technologies.

B. Future Planning

The Department of Watershed Management’s “Blueprint” capital plan prioritizes resilience. Future investments focus on redundant power systems, advanced nutrient removal technologies (potentially Membrane Aerated Biofilm Reactors or similar intensification steps), and hardening the facility against climate-induced heavy rainfall events.

Technical Specifications Summary

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Technical Questions

1. What is the peak flow capacity of R.M. Clayton?

The facility is hydraulically rated for a peak flow of 240 MGD to handle wet weather events.

2. Does R.M. Clayton utilize chemical phosphorus removal?

Yes, the plant utilizes metal salts (typically Ferric Chloride or Alum) for chemical precipitation of phosphorus to meet NPDES limits, alongside biological uptake.

3. How are biosolids handled at the facility?

Primary and waste activated sludge is thickened, anaerobically digested, and dewatered using centrifuges. The resulting cake is hauled to landfills.

4. What caused the 2024 compliance challenges?

A combination of mechanical failures in the clarifiers/headworks and illicit high-strength industrial discharges disrupted the biological process, leading to temporary effluent violations.

Public Interest Questions

5. How many people does R.M. Clayton serve?

The facility serves an estimated population of over 1.6 million people across Atlanta and surrounding counties.

6. Does the plant smell?

While wastewater treatment inherently generates odors, the plant utilizes advanced chemical scrubbers and biofilters to capture and treat foul air. Occasional odors may occur during maintenance or upset conditions.

7. Is the water released into the river clean?

Yes, under normal operation, the water released is highly treated, disinfected, and meets strict state and federal standards ensuring it is safe for the river ecosystem.