A chemical spill at the South River Water Reclamation Center did not cause a recent fish kill in the South River, according to a report from the City of Atlanta, but no further information has been released.
Resident Peter Peteet was walking his dog at Constitution Lakes Park in southeast Atlanta when he spotted the June 27 fish kill on the South River. Several species of minnow, sunfish, and catfish were found dead.
In response, City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) crews implemented containment measures, deployed hazardous materials response personnel, and contained and neutralized the spill.
Early reports suggested chemicals may have reached the storm drains, but DWM and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) retracted that cause on July 1.
As part of the investigation, DWM collected water quality samples at multiple locations. Based on those sampling results, DWM has determined that the fish kill was not related to the incident at the South River Water Reclamation Center.
South River Watershed Alliance said the confusion began when the City of Atlanta issued conflicting statements, while the Environmental Protection Department and Department of Natural Resources offered “virtually no information.”
In a preliminary report, DWM said the spill “did not make its way to South River” and that the reported fish kill location is “upstream of the plant location.” But the fish kill reported is downstream of the facility and the USGS monitoring station.
Nearly a week later, South River Watershed Alliance President Dr. Jacqueline Echols said the cause of the fish kill has still not been determined. The alliance protects about 60 miles of the river.
“Take the time to figure out what the issue is,” Echols said. “What’s the source of the dead fish?”
Echols was told a report would come from the Georgia Environmental Protection Department, which is “different from the mayor putting out a press release saying that it didn’t happen there. They have no idea, obviously, where it happened.”
The state has been in a drought despite bouts of brief, intense rainstorms. The South River flows 60 miles southeast from metro Atlanta to Jackson Lake, where it becomes the Ocmulgee River. It is a headwater to the largest freshwater system in the state.
Water systems technology has not been brought up to date to accommodate climate change or population increase, Echols said. Built up to 20 years ago, the systems at South River Water Reclamation Center have not been expanded to meet current needs, resulting in overwhelmed sewer facilities.
“Ten or 15 years ago, you didn’t hear about overflows because the facilities, when they were built, could accommodate the rainfall. But facilities haven’t been upgraded, so they can’t treat the additional flow. That’s what happened on the Chattahoochee,” Echols said.
In late May, 44,500 fish were killed on the Chattahoochee River. The river was low, torrential rain storms flooded the waters, and the stormwater removal system was stressed.
“Whether it be the South River or the Chattahoochee, the more rain you get, the more vulnerable you become,” Echols said.
