On March 3, 2021 the City of Douglas Wastewater Treatment Plant experienced a Total Suspended Solids (TSS) exceedance of 46 mg/L. TSS is the dry-weight of suspended particles that are not dissolved in a sample of water that can be trapped by a filter that is analyzed using a filtration apparatus. The reporting limit for TSS is 45 mg/L for a daily TSS sample. The City of Douglas Wastewater Treatment Plant reported to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division on March 4, 2021 the result and flow of the incident that occurred on March 3, 2021.
Due to high flows at the wastewater plant, electrical and mechanical processes became submerged causing aerators to become inoperable which resulted in a drop in dissolved oxygen causing the effluent TSS to increase. Although all wastewater for that day was processed through the wastewater plant, a TSS exceedance above 45 mg/L requires public notice by state law and qualifies as a technical spill. The total volume of wastewater treated on the 3rd was 10.5 million gallons.
The testing procedure for TSS is from a 24-hour composite sample. Sample testing began at 7 am on March 3, 2021 and was completed on March 4, 2021. Immediately following this event, up and down stream river testing showed no adverse effects to aquatic life. All tests were performed according to Georgia Environmental Protection Division standards.
For questions or concerns, please contact Kevin Davis at 912-389-3447.