Overview
ELLIJAY WPCP serves approximately 2,248 residents in Ellijay, Georgia, as part of the city's municipal wastewater infrastructure. The plant discharges treated effluent into local waterways within the Coosawattee River watershed.
ELLIJAY WPCP is a wastewater treatment facility located on South Main Street in Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia, serving a population of about 2,248 people. As a small municipal plant, it plays a key role in managing wastewater for this community in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Under the U.S. Clean Water Act, small wastewater treatment plants like ELLIJAY WPCP are typically required to meet secondary treatment standards through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. The plant's treatment process ensures that effluent quality meets state and federal regulations before discharge. The plant's treated effluent is discharged into a receiving water body that flows into the Coosawattee River, part of the larger Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin. This watershed supports diverse aquatic life and provides water resources for downstream communities, eventually draining into the Gulf of Mexico via the Mobile River system.
Environmental context
The plant discharges into a tributary of the Coosawattee River, which flows through the Appalachian foothills of northern Georgia. This river system supports a variety of fish and macroinvertebrate species, including sensitive taxa that require good water quality. The watershed ultimately drains to the Gulf of Mexico via the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin, making local treatment important for downstream ecological health.
Frequently asked questions
ELLIJAY WPCP is located on South Main Street in Ellijay, Gilmer County, Georgia, United States.
ELLIJAY WPCP serves approximately 2,248 residents in the Ellijay area.
The plant discharges treated effluent into a local water body that flows into the Coosawattee River, part of the Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin.
As a U.S. facility, ELLIJAY WPCP operates under the Clean Water Act, with discharge regulated by an NPDES permit issued by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
Small plants serving around 2,200 people typically use secondary treatment processes such as activated sludge or lagoon systems to meet NPDES permit limits for BOD, TSS, and other pollutants.
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