EPA enforcement actions against wastewater plants in Georgia
28 formal actions at 19 of 256 plants · $3.8M in penalties · 5 EPA inspections
EPA's enforcement records list 28 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Georgia, 2 of them since fiscal year 2020. The cases involve 19 of the state's 256 plants, with $3.8 million in penalties assessed. The most common ground is sewage sludge disposal (18 cases). EPA has inspected 3 plants in the state, 5 inspections in total. Every plant links to its profile, and every case to its report on EPA's ECHO site.
- All plants in Georgia
- Georgia NPDES permits
- EPA enforcement nationwide
- Analysis: enforcement since 2020
Recent enforcement actions in Georgia
| Plant | Date | Type | Law section | Outcome | Penalty | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loganville, City Of (big Flat Creek Wpcp) Loganville | Jun 2026 FY2026 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $700 | ECHO 07-2026-0189 |
EPA's description: “Facility land applied biosolids when their SOUR VAR test was noncompliant. The facility did not use any other VAR option after the SOUR test was determined.” | ||||||
| West Point, City Of (west Point Wpcp) West Point | Feb 2023 FY2023 | Administrative order | Sewage Sludge Disposal | Final Order With Penalty | $1,500 | ECHO 07-2023-0004 |
EPA's description: “Facility disposed biosolds that exceeded the Nickel ceiling limit. - Ceiling limit = 420 mg/kg - Exceeded concentration = 580 mg/kg” | ||||||
| Pole Bridge Creek Advanced Wastewater Facility Lithonia and 1 other plant named in the case | Sep 2021 FY2008 | Judicial case | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $1.5M | ECHO 04-2008-9012 |
EPA's description: “Clean Water Act Consent Decree Entered Against DeKalb County, Georgia. On December 20, 2011, the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia entered a Consent Decree settling violations of…” | ||||||
| Water Pollution Control Plant Milledgeville | May 2016 FY2013 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order No Penalty | — | ECHO 04-2013-4766 |
| Water Pollution Control Plant Milledgeville | Nov 2014 FY2014 | Administrative order | NPDES Permit Violations | Final Order With Penalty | $18,000 | ECHO 04-2014-4505 |
| City Of Atlanta Cso West Area Atlanta | Nov 2013 FY2013 | Administrative order | Emergency Release Notification Section 313 Program | Final Order With Penalty | $12,952 | ECHO 04-2013-2039 |
| City Of Atlanta Cso West Area Atlanta | Sep 2012 FY1997 | Judicial case | Effluent Limitations - NPDES Toxic & Pretreatment Effluent Standards | Final Order With Penalty | $2.2M | ECHO 04-1997-0531 |
| Summerville, City Of (summerville Wpcp) Summerville | Aug 2012 FY2012 | Administrative order | Sewage Sludge Disposal | Final Order With Penalty | $4,900 | ECHO 04-2012-4522 |
| Stockbridge, City Of (stephen D. Peurifoy Wpcp) Stockbridge | Aug 2012 FY2012 | Administrative order | Sewage Sludge Disposal | Final Order With Penalty | $900 | ECHO 04-2012-4518 |
| City Of Adairsville (north Wpcp) Adairsville | Apr 2012 FY2012 | Administrative order | Sewage Sludge Disposal | Final Order With Penalty | $900 | ECHO 04-2012-4509 |
Full case histories, milestones, violation types and EPA's complete case summaries for every plant are shown with a free Klarifi account. Create one
Largest penalties in Georgia
| # | Plant | Date | Type | Outcome | Penalty | Compliance actions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City Of Atlanta Cso West Area Atlanta | Sep 2012 FY1997 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $2.2M | $1,150M | ECHO 04-1997-0531 |
| 2 | Pole Bridge Creek Advanced Wastewater Facility Lithonia and 1 other plant named in the case | Sep 2021 FY2008 | Judicial case | Final Order With Penalty | $1.5M | $1,700M | ECHO 04-2008-9012 |
| 3 | Washington, City Of (rocky Creek Wpcp) Washington | Jan 2007 FY2004 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $21,000 | — | ECHO 04-2004-4500 |
| 4 | Water Pollution Control Plant Milledgeville | Nov 2014 FY2014 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $18,000 | — | ECHO 04-2014-4505 |
| 5 | City Of Atlanta Cso West Area Atlanta | Nov 2013 FY2013 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $12,952 | — | ECHO 04-2013-2039 |
| 6 | Summerville, City Of (summerville Wpcp) Summerville | Aug 2012 FY2012 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $4,900 | — | ECHO 04-2012-4522 |
| 7 | Summerville, City Of (summerville Wpcp) Summerville | Sep 2007 FY2007 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $4,000 | — | ECHO 04-2007-4530 |
| 8 | Loganville, City Of (big Flat Creek Wpcp) Loganville | Jan 2007 FY2005 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $3,000 | — | ECHO 04-2005-4531 |
| 9 | City Of Blakely Blakely | Sep 1997 FY1997 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $2,138 | — | ECHO 04-1997-0227 |
| 10 | Stockbridge, City Of (stephen D. Peurifoy Wpcp) Stockbridge | Mar 1998 FY1998 | Administrative order | Final Order With Penalty | $2,091 | — | ECHO 04-1998-0113 |
Actions by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Formal actions | Penalties |
|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | 0 | — |
| FY2019 | 0 | — |
| FY2020 | 0 | — |
| FY2021 | 0 | — |
| FY2022 | 0 | — |
| FY2023 | 1 | $1,500 |
| FY2024 | 0 | — |
| FY2025 | 0 | — |
| FY2026 | 1 | $700 |
| FY2027 | 0 | — |
EPA fiscal years run from 1 October to 30 September. The current year is partial.
EPA enforcement in Georgia: questions
How many EPA enforcement actions have been taken against wastewater plants in Georgia?
EPA's enforcement records list 28 formal civil enforcement cases naming publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in Georgia, 2 of them since fiscal year 2020. They involve 19 of the state's 256 plants. Informal actions such as notices of violation are not counted here.
Which Georgia wastewater plant received the largest EPA penalty?
City Of Atlanta Cso West Area in Atlanta: $2.2 million assessed in fiscal year 1997 (ATLANTA, GA, CITY OF (CITY OF ATLANTA), Final Order With Penalty). Penalties are the amounts EPA records as assessed or agreed, not necessarily what was collected.
What does an EPA administrative order mean for a wastewater plant?
Most cases here are administrative orders under section 309 of the Clean Water Act: EPA finds permit violations, usually effluent limits or discharge without a permit, and orders the plant to return to compliance, often with a corrective action plan, a schedule and sometimes a penalty. Judicial cases go through the Department of Justice and typically end in a consent decree with a capital programme behind it. The latest case in Georgia is from Jun 2026.
Enforcement data: EPA ICIS-FE&C civil enforcement cases and ICIS compliance inspections, via ECHO. Penalties are the amounts assessed or agreed in each case as EPA records them. Latest case status in this data: Jun 2026.
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