Atlanta Begins Sewage Repair Project

ATLANTA, GA – Last year, the city of Atlanta spent millions of dollars to replace damaged equipment at the Headworks of its largest wastewater treatment facility. The Headworks represents the point of entry for wastewater from the City’s 1,600-mile sewer system.

This week, the Department of Watershed Management began blasting activities for the R.M. Clayton Water Reclamation Center Headwork Improvement Project. The project will upgrade screening and grit removal units to alleviate adverse effects to the downstream wastewater treatment processes, improve operational reliability and avoid violations of the City’s wastewater discharge permit.

“We have incurred a great deal of damage to our headworks equipment and spent $4 million to replace two centrifuges that were overcome by wipes in 2014,” said Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina. “Investing more than $50 million to improve the first line of wastewater treatment is a part of our $1 billion Capital Improvement Program and will help ensure that the plant is functioning at its highest level while also protecting our fresh water sources.”

To prepare for construction, controlled blasting is necessary to remove granite rock. Blasting at the plant, located at 2440 Bolton Road NW, will occur weekdays between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. and is anticipated to last for approximately four months.

Over the next two years, construction will include the addition of new bar screens to remove large debris, new grit removal units to remove coarse sand, gravel and other large inert materials and a back-up grit system to provide additional removal during heavy rains.