Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Center
Wastewater Collection Service Area The City of Atlanta has three water reclamation centers with a combined treatment120 capacity of 222 million gallons per day (MGD); 188 MGD of wastewater is treated each day within City limits.
About Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Center
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Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Center (WRC), built in 1936, has a permitted treatment capacity of 40 million gallons of water per day (MGD), and provides wastewater treatment for portions of southwest and northwest Atlanta, East Point, and a portion of
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raw, untreated wastewater from the combined (stormwater and wastewater) and separate sanitary sewer collection systems. Subsequently, the treated water is returned to the Chattahoochee River at a higher quality than the raw water in the river.
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Long Island Creek RM Clayton
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Proctor Creek
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South River WRC
Camp Creek
Utoy Creek WRC
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Intrenchment Creek 28 154
407 285
East Area WQCF (former Intrenchment Creek WRC) 42
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Construction of Atlanta’s sewer system began in the late 1800’s. By 1880, there were 8 miles of stone, masonry and small pipe sewers ranging in size from 12-inches to 6-feet in diameter. In 1910, $1.35 million in bonds was issued to construct three sewage treatment plants: Proctor Creek, Peachtree Creek and Intrenchment Creek. Between 1932-1945, Utoy Creek, South River and RM Clayton were constructed, with Proctor and Peachtree Creek plants becoming decommissioned. The Utoy Creek WRC has undergone multiple upgrades and expansions over the past 80+ years. In 1997, a major improvement project at the WRC included new screening and grit removal facilities,
South River
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for the plant, as well as the lab facilities for all the Department of Watershed Management’s wastewater treatment plants. It was built as an using non-emitting materials, permeable paving, drought resistant landscaping, recycled concrete and vast numbers of windows to maximize natural
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Utoy Creek 6
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ATL ANTA
Utoy Creek WRC
The WRC is anchored by a 32,000-square-foot administration building that was constructed in 2004.
from the US Green Building Council, for its energy
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In addition, the Utoy Creek WRC is part of a Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contract, which is several energy conservation measures for the WRC and overall water distribution system that will realize a total savings of $2.7 million.
City to earn what is known as LEED – Leadership
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existing WRC remained operational. In late 2019, lime stabilization was added to the treatment of biosolids which allows them to be used for land application (fertilizer).
Water Reclamation Center Water Reclamation Center (Outside City)
The Utoy Creek WRC’s administration building/ laboratory won an award for Pizzagalli Construction, its general contractor. The Build Georgia “Best in Construction” award, given by the Georgia branch of the Associated General Contractors of America, was for “Design-Bid-Build” projects. The building also won the American Concrete Institute’s award for innovation in pre-cast design in the public works mid-rise building category. The Utoy Creek WRC has consistently achieved excellent performance and has received the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) Peak Performance Award for nine years of complete and consistent National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) permit compliance.
expansion of the existing aeration tanks to optimize biological carbon oxidation, nitrification and phosphorus removal, secondary clarification, and post-aeration. Other related improvements included new sludge thickening, dewatering and incineration facilities. In addition, extensive odor control facilities were constructed for the liquid and solids unit processes. All process facilities were substantially completed by October 2000. Throughout the upgrades and expansion, the
Utoy Creek WRC Administrative Building Lobby
Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Center Treatment Process
Nan cy C ree k Tu nne l
BAR SCREENS
PRIMARY CLARIFIER
AERATION BASINS
Filter out rags, sticks and other large items.
Allows heavier particles to settle; and oils, grease and lighter particles to float.
Air is pumped through the wastewater to promote microorganism growth. The bugs “eat” the particles left after primary clarification.
Headworks Bar screens (x3) Grit removal tanks (x2) Drum screens (x2)
Primary Sludge Scum Aeration Basins (x6)
Primary Clarifier (x4)
Primary Sludge
Coal Grit & Trash to Landfill
Sand Gravel
Post Aeration Basins (x2)
Secondary Clarifiers (x5)
Effluent Filtration Basins (x10)
POST AERATION
UV DISINFECTION
EFFLUENT FILTRATION BASINS
Ensures that an adequate amount of dissolved oxygen is in the effluent prior to discharge into the river.
Ultraviolet light which kills disease-causing organisms.
Removes any final particles left after secondary clarification.
Waste Activated Sludge
Chattahoochee River
UV Disinfection Units (x3)
Thickening Centrifuges (x2)
Sludge to Land Application for Agriculture Uses
Lime Stabilization
Dewatering Centrifuges (x2)
Anaerobic Digesters (x4)
Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Center – Treatment Process The Utoy Creek Water Reclamation Center (WRC), located on Selig Drive in southwest Atlanta, provides wastewater treatment for an area that encompasses northwest and southwest Atlanta, East Point, and a part of Fulton County. The Utoy Creek WRC is permitted to discharge 40 MGD of treated wastewater to the Chattahoochee River. The WRC uses primary, secondary and tertiary processes for treating wastewater. Influent flow is received from the Utoy Creek WRC influent pumping station. At the primary treatment stage, wastewater from the Utoy Creek service area passes through mechanical bar screens, fine mesh rotatory drum screens and vortex grill collectors (also known as headworks) to remove trash, sand, rock, and other items that can damage the downstream treatment equipment. The screened wastewater flows into four 10-foot deep primary clarifiers where a chemical, ferric chloride, is added to help remove phosphorus. At this stage, settled and floating solids are removed from the wastewater. In secondary treatment, wastewater from the primary clarifiers flows into six aeration basins/ biological nutrient removal tanks (BNR), where a biological treatment called the activated sludge process occurs. Sludge is a thick, soft substance with a mud-like consistency, and activated sludge is used to remove pollutants from wastewater by a biological reaction involving oxygen. The aeration basins are equipped with a fine bubble aeration system which provides an environment for microorganisms (referred to as bugs) to thrive and multiply. These bugs “eat” the organic waste in the wastewater and once the food/waste is gone, the treated water flows into the five secondary clarifiers. At this stage, the activated sludge is removed from the wastewater using suction type sludge collection mechanisms. For tertiary treatment, the treated water is sent through 10 deep bed granular media effluent filters to remove floating solids from the wastewater. The granular media filters are made up of a mixture of coal, sand and gravel; and layers are typically 2-6 feet deep. The filtered water is then disinfected with ultraviolet (UV) radiation to reduce the disease-causing organisms and prepare the treated water for discharge into the Chattahoochee River. More oxygen is added to the treated water in a post aeration process, which ensures that an adequate
amount of dissolved oxygen is present in the treated water before it enters the river. In addition to treating wastewater, Utoy Creek WRC treats its solid waste. The trash collected from the headworks during the primary process is hauled to a landfill. The sludge from the primary clarifiers (primary sludge) is collected and sent into four anaerobic digesters. The digestion process stabilizes the sludge and reduces the volatile solids and pathogens by using anaerobic (without oxygen) microorganisms (bugs) to convert organic matter into carbon dioxide, methane, water, and nondegradable solids. Sludge from the secondary clarifiers (waste activated sludge) is sent to two volute thickening presses where the sludge is thickened and sent to the anaerobic digesters. The volute thickening presses employ a low speed process that combines polymers with the waste activated sludge to create discrete agglomerations of solids and free water. The free water and solids are then separated in a slow speed thickening drum. From the anaerobic digesters, sludge is sent to two dewatering centrifuges. The dewatering removes more water and produces a drier material referred to as “cake.” After the dewatering centrifuges, any liquid is sent back to the plant’s headworks and the dewatered sludge “cake” is treated with lime stabilization and hauled to a landfill.
Fun Facts
Awards Atlanta has approximately manholes in the wastewater system
47,327
Atlanta has approximately miles of sewer lines in the wastewater system
2,150
Utoy Creek WRC Administrative Building is the first public building in the City to earn LEED certification
2019 Biosolids/Residuals Program of Excellence Award for Large Operating Systems 2019 Wastewater Gold Award 2009 Wastewater Gold Award
Associated General Contractors of Georgia The Build Georgia “Best in Construction” Award Design-Bid-Build projects
There are approximately
94,000 retail wastewater services accounts
National Association of Clean Water Agencies 2008 Platinum 9 Award for nine years of complete and consistent NPDES permit compliance
Innovation Tours One-hour guided, walking tours are offered at the Utoy Creek WRC that provide guests a behind-the scenes look at the wastewater treatment process, the plant’s unique story, and how wastewater travels through the facility and is discharged into the Chattahoochee River Utoy Creek WRC Administrative Building
Contact our office to schedule a tour today! Utoy Creek WRC Administrative Building is the first public building in the City to earn LEED certification for its energy efficient features. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building types, LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.
Georgia Association of Water Professionals
Time Slots Monday and Wednesday 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Please email us at dwmcommunications@atlantaga.gov. Include the following information in your email: Name of school/program/organization, contact person name and phone number, tour date, tour time, name of plant to be toured.
SCAN HERE TO VISIT US ONLINE!
Thinking about becoming a wastewater treatment plant operator? The State of Georgia requires the following for an operator to become certified: • Take and pass an exam that demonstrates that the applicant has the necessary skills, knowledge, ability and judgment as appropriate for the classification
DEPARTMENT OF WATERSHED MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
• Have a high school diploma or a general equivalency diploma (GED)
72 Marietta Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303 Mon-Fri – 8:15 am to 5:00 pm atlantawatershed.org
• Have the defined minimum amount of on-the-job experience for each appropriate level of classification.