Activated sludge and clarifiers: wastewater treatment plants in Georgia
102 plants · 40% of the state · 256 MGD reported by 93 plants
Klarifi identifies 102 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants with activated sludge and clarifiers in Georgia, 40% of the 256 plants in the state (256 MGD reported by 93 plants). The largest is Gwinnett County Board Of Commissioners (f. Wayne Hill Wrc) in Buford at 36.74 MGD.
Activated sludge is the standard mechanical process for cities: aeration basins where bacteria consume organic matter, followed by clarifiers that settle the biomass out. These plants are identified by their circular or rectangular clarifiers and by the suspended-growth process code, and they are the main market for blowers, diffusers, clarifier mechanisms and instrumentation.
The largest activated sludge plants in Georgia
| # | Facility | City | Avg flow (MGD) | NPDES permit | Expires | Violations (3y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gwinnett County Board Of Commissioners (f. Wayne Hill Wrc) | Buford | 36.74 | GA0038130 | Dec 2026 | 0 |
| 2 | Dekalb County Department Of Watershed Management (snapfinger Creek Awtf) | Decatur | 28.92 | GA0024147 | Mar 2029 | 1 |
| 3 | Pole Bridge Creek Advanced Wastewater Facility | Lithonia | 28.92 | GA0026816 | Mar 2029 | 4 |
| 4 | South Cobb WRF | Mableton | 26.31 | GA0026158 | Jun 2027 | 3 |
| 5 | Lower Poplar Street Water Reclamation Facility | Macon | 12.68 | GAIS10060 | May 2027 | 14 |
| 6 | Gainesville, City Of (flat Creek Wrf) | Gainesville | 9.44 | GA0021156 | Nov 2022 | 49 |
| 7 | Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water & Sewer Commission (academy Creek Wpcp) | Brunswick | 6.9 | GA0025313 | Jun 2025 | 141 |
| 8 | Cobb County Water System (northwest Wrf) | Marietta | 6.46 | GA0046761 | Dec 2027 | 74 |
| 9 | City Of Valdosta | Valdosta | 4.81 | GA0033235 | Apr 2020 | 17 |
| 10 | Tifton Regional Wastewater Complex | Tifton | 4.69 | GA0048470 | Jan 2031 | 21 |
Contacts and project signals for every plant on this list
Klarifi adds verified decision-maker contacts, permit limits, discharge monitoring data and the capital projects planned in each city, filterable by technology, size and compliance record.
Other technologies in Georgia
Activated sludge and clarifiers in other states
Activated sludge and clarifiers in Georgia: questions
Sources and methodology
Flow, permit and violation figures come from the EPA's ICIS-NPDES discharge monitoring records. Population served comes from the Clean Watersheds Needs Survey 2022. Treatment structures are identified by Klarifi's review of aerial imagery, and capital improvement projects are extracted from published municipal budget documents. Violations are counted over the last three years of monitoring reports.
Data refreshed October 26, 2026.
Wastewater terms: Activated sludge · Biological nutrient removal · Equalization tank · Tertiary treatment · Significant industrial user · all terms