As E. Coli levels drop, Chattahoochee River reopens to the public

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area has reopened sections of the river affected by elevated E. Coli contamination after the park closed these sections last week due to a public health risk from an issue at Big Creek Water Reclamation Facility.

The Chattahoochee River, from Powers Island to all downstream sections of the park that were affected with elevated E. Coli have been reopened. 

These sections of the river have bacterial levels below the criteria recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency, but conditions remain subject to change. However, the river remains closed between Chattahoochee Nature Center and Powers Island.

The park and Chattahoochee Riverkeeper are continuing to monitor and test water quality through the BacteriALERT partnership, as well as assess the potential impact on wildlife, vegetation, and aquatic resources.

Fulton County Public Works is continuing treatment at the Big Creek facility to ensure all wastewater meets permitting requirements of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. David Clark, the director of Fulton County Department of Public Works said,  

“We are doing additional disinfection here at the very end of the plant to try to kill as much of the E. Coli that made its way through the plant as fully as possible.” 

Fulton County claims that the current situation does not impact the safety of the drinking water in Fulton County or the surrounding communities. Only time will tell if this is true.