COBB COUNTY, Ga. — (Editor's note: The video above this article is from another environmental story.)
Cobb County on Wednesday reported that it had detected a discharge of wastewater into Lake Allatoona.
It originally occurred last week, on Nov. 17. The county said the wastewater had been treated, but did not "fully meet" discharge standards from the Cobb County Water System Northwest Water Reclamation Facility.
According to Cobb County, it will have "no impact on Cobb County's drinking water system."
Cobb said in a release that the county's water agency determined the discharge after "receiving routine compliance sampling results."
The county added that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division regards any discharge of "wastewater that doesn't meet applicable standards" as a spill, though there was no malfunction at the facility in which uncontrolled spilling occurred.
The discharge amounted to 5.72 million gallons which the county said had been disinfected.
Cobb's full statement:
On Thursday, November 17, 2022, Cobb County Water System’s Northwest Water Reclamation Facility discharged treated wastewater that did not fully meet the facility’s discharge standards.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division defines the discharge of wastewater that doesn’t meet applicable standards as a “spill.” The spill designation was determined by CCWS on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, after receiving routine compliance sampling results. The effluent flow from the facility into Lake Allatoona was 5.72 million gallons and was disinfected. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has been notified, and Cobb County Water System employees are following EPD protocols for such a discharge.
This has no impact on Cobb County's drinking water system.