6-mile stretch of Chattahoochee River closing for ‘extremely dangerous’ E. coli levels, sewage spill

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Channel 2 Action News has learned that a busy stretch of the Chattahoochee River will be closed during the holiday weekend because of a sewage spill.

Officials said the spill was discovered Thursday in the area of Morgan Falls and Bull Sluice Lake underneath the river bed.

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The sewage spill will impact a large stretch of the river heading downstream to Johnson Ferry.

That led officials to closing off the river to all recreational usage. At this time, it’s unclear when officials expect the river to reopen to the public.

Channel 2′s Tom Regan took a ride on the river with the Chattahoochee River Keepers to get a closer look at the ongoing discharge and contamination.

“We have this sewer spill, this contamination source right here,” Jason Ulseth, from the Chattahoochee River Keepers, said. “Our sample result shows that this is highly dangerous to be in the water here and downstream, all the way to Johnson Ferry.”

There are white specks of paper in the river water and the smell of raw sewage.

Ulseth said the specks are “all toilet paper we are seeing coming up from the bottom of the river.” He said officials took samples yesterday and lab results were delivered this morning.

“The E.coli is through the roof,” Ulseth said.

In a series of online posts earlier in the day, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper said six miles of the Chattahoochee will be closed, from the Chattahoochee Nature Center to Johnson Ferry, due to a sewage discharge near Willeo Creek Park.

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Additionally, they said “CRK has been tracking this spill for more than a week and are coordinating with CRNRA & Fulton County. CRK’s water quality tests show extremely high E. coli levels as of Thursday afternoon at the Morgan Falls site and downstream. More information will be provided when available.”

Officials told Channel 2 Action News that it’s possible a sewage pipe broke under the river, meaning the efforts to fix the spill could become difficult.

While parts of the river are closed off due to the contamination, it hasn’t stopped people from getting in the water further upstream.

People are still swimming or kayaking, and they tell Regan they don’t like to hear that here’s a major sewage spill in the river.

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“Clearly it’s not good for anyone, especially people who are the water and get it on their skin,” Gary Kucera, a kayaker, told Channel 2 Action News. “It can cause some problems.”

For those on the river, the leak is bound to have an impact on recreational businesses. A man who rents kayaks, tubes and paddleboards out said the leak couldn’t have come at a worse time, ahead of a holiday weekend.

River keepers and other local water agencies are warning residents to stay out of the water at risk of illness.

“Any type of contact with the water puts you at risk. The illnesses we are talking about are gastrointestinal, vomiting, skin, and ear and eye infection,” Ulseth said. “They could be more complicated in rare cases.”

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