First Water Reuse Plant in Georgia Opens

Fulton County, located on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, officially opened its new water reclamation plant this week in a special ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Cauley Creek Water Reclamation plant is the first in Georgia to use ultrafiltration membrane technology and is also the first to have a comprehensive reuse program. This facility is based on Zenon's ZenoGem(R) membrane bioreactor that will treat area wastewater to near drinking water standards. In an effort to decrease the amount of water withdrawn from the Chattahoochee River, the treated effluent will be used to irrigate surrounding golf courses, churches, residential developments and area businesses. This in turn will reduce demand on the county's drinking water system.

What makes this plant different from others are the special architectural features that make it look like a barn in a pastoral setting, surrounded by 135 acres of hayfields with landscaped buffers. These design features, as well as total odor and noise control, have resulted in an unobtrusive facility that blends into and preserves the existing rural environment.

The new plant, which cannot be seen from the road and does not have any signage, has a total footprint of less than half an acre. It was designed for expansion and will be extended at the rear of the facility, avoiding any negative impact on the plant's unique aesthetics.