Yellow River WWTP opens treating 22 million gallons a day

Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility, a new, $277 million wastewater treatment plant, started up operations this June, allowing Gwinnett County water officials to shut down six older, smaller plants that are much less efficient. One of the old plants is on the same site as the new one, on the Yellow River, Gwinnett County in Georgia, USA.

'The new Yellow River Water Reclamation Facility uses membrane bioreactor technology and is the first of its kind in Gwinnett,' said Acting Water Resources Director Lynn Smarr. 'The technology has been around for several years, but we let others pilot the technology until we were sure it was cost effective and would meet our state and federal permit requirements.'

The plant can treat 22 million gallons per day, but it takes up less space than the 12 MGD, 1970s technology it replaces. The plants that will close include the old Yellow River facility along with the Big Haynes Creek, Jacks Creek, No Business Creek, Beaver Ruin and Jackson Creek plants.

The new plant will reduce costs for chemicals and operating personnel as well as reducing the amount of pollutants going into the Yellow River. The construction project includes a Silver LEED-certified administration building.