MACON, Ga. — The Macon Water Authority is trying to get their Rocky Creek Treatment Plant back to normal after a wastewater spill in December.
Partially to blame is the freezing weather in late December, and failing equipment from Graphic Packaging International. Graphic Packaging is one of the Macon Water Authority's biggest customers, and its wastewater flows into the Rocky Creek plant.
"In late December was the state of emergency by the governor. And that was because of the cold temperatures that we expected and did receive," Interim Water Authority Director Ron Shipman recalled.
That cold weather caused some equipment at Graphic Packaging to fail. That sent a wave of wastewater to the treatment plant, overloading the system. Eventually, it caused more than 100 million gallons of partially treated wastewater to dump into the Ocmulgee River.
"Total suspended solids were one of those limits that we were above what we would normally expect from our permit," Shipman explained.
Simply put: the microbes that eat up particles in the water at the plant couldn't finish their meal. Some of the leftovers wound up in the river, partially treated. The water authority says those levels weren't threatening.
"We're not talking anything that wasn't treated. We're talking product or effluent that was treated. It just wasn't treated to the standard we're accustomed to," Shipman said.
According to the Macon Water Authority's report, one day in early January, suspended solid levels were 10 times higher than they should be. The EPA says high suspended solids could cause fish kills or harm other river life. Shipman says there is no threat to the river.
"No impacts to the river as to what we are expecting today," Shipman said.
Shipman says the plant has not been in spill stage for the past couple of days. They say they'll continue monitoring water levels seven days a week to make sure levels stay correct.
This is not the first time problems at Graphic Packaging caused major spills. Two years ago, the water authority said a series of spills lasted nearly three months, and let more than a half-billion gallons of wastewater into the river. Again, the authority blamed excess solids released by Graphic Packaging into the Rocky Creek plant.
Five years ago, Graphic Packaging said it planned to spend $136 million to upgrade its Macon mill. They planned to improve both production and environmental protection.
We reached out to Graphic Packaging's plant manager. They did not return our phone calls.