The lawsuit claims the city of Calhoun did not disclose the discharge of any PFAS from its Water Pollution Control Program (WPCP) sludge disposal operations in its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Application submitted to Environmental Protection Division (EPD) prior to EPD’s issuance of either the 2023 NPDES Permit or the 2016 NPDES Permit.
The Calhoun WPCP employs an activated sludge biological treatment process. The lawsuit claims this process generates sludge (biosolids) that, for many years, has been “aerobically digested, dewatered in belt presses and disposed of at designated land application sites throughout Gordon County.” This conventional wastewater treatment is incapable of removing or destroying PFAS–according to the lawsuit—which are discharged into the Calhoun WPCP from Industrial Users, and accumulate in and contaminate the sludge generated by the WPCP. PFAS refer to a class of thousands of synthetic chemicals that have been used in manufacturing since at least the 1940s that are known to be dangerous to human health and the environment.Â
Due to their strong carbon-fluorine bonds, PFAS are highly stable and are resistant to heat and chemical reactions and repel both oil and water. The lawsuit says Moss Land Company is the owner of three large parcels of property in Gordon County that contain twelve sludge fields, located adjacent to the Coosawattee River and a short distance upstream of the surface water intake providing the source water to Calhoun’s Mauldin Road WTP. “As part of Calhoun’s sludge waste generation, treatment, handling, transport, and disposal operations, Calhoun and Moss Land Company have, for over twenty years, disposed of PFAS-contaminated sludge generated by the Calhoun WPCP on Sludge Field 11,” the lawsuit says.This, according to the lawsuit, has contaminated the drinking water of Gordon County.
So, what can be done?
The first goal is to raise awareness of these issues, whether in the form of this lawsuit, or through a variety of different media outlets and public exposure. If this lawsuit ends up in a victory against the city, then it can be expected that regulations are enforced to a higher degree, which will, hopefully, result in the remove of these harmful chemicals. However, as exemplified in Flint Michigan and in the case of Aaron Brockovich, even if the lawsuit is won, in favor of the prosecution, it will take years to implement change, all the while the water coming into the homes of the residence of Georgia may still be putting their families at risk.
Thus, we recommend independently testing your water to ensure that the chemicals inside of the water, whether PFAS or any other chemicals, are not putting you or your family at any undue risk.
To get a free test and find out more, click here.