The Impact of a Combined Sewer System on Boulevard Heights and Surrounding Communities
Technical Outreach Services to Communities Program
Initiative for Community Outreach, Research and Education
August 1999
Georgia Tech Research Institute
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia
The communities of Boulevard Heights, Ormewood Park, Woodland Hills, Sloan
Circle, and Benteen (hereafter collectively referred to as Boulevard Heights) are
located in southeast Atlanta adjacent to the city's Empowerment Zone. Each
community comprises an eclectic mix of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, but all
share a common problem -- the difficulty of achieving much needed neighborhood
revitalization in light of environmental contamination of surrounding property.
Three significant contributors to the overall negative environmental character of
the surrounding neighborhood affect this area: a combined sewer system, a
landfill, and a brownfield property.
Boulevard Heights is an integrated neighborhood comprising African-Americans,
Asians, Hispanics, and Caucasians, with its residents employed primarily in
service work such as masonry, construction, landscape services, and low-end
office and clerical work. In terms of housing structures, 66% of the units in
Boulevard Heights are single-family detached homes. Complete demographic
information is not presently available for the other communities, yet they bear
similarities to Boulevard Heights. Ormewood Park residents are employed primarily
in government, healthcare, arts organizations, and design trades. Woodland Hills
is a mixed ethnic/cultural community with few professionals and more trade and
labor union workers representing the population.
Approximately 42 homes are within close proximity to the East Confederate
Avenue Landfill and combined sewer system (CSS). These homes are market impacted
by the presence of the landfill and CSS, and average $50,000 per home -- $10,000
to $15,000 less than the average price of similar homes located within the
neighborhood but some distance from the landfill/CSS.
Within the past ten years, many areas surrounding the communities that are the
focus of this study have experienced a rebound of their communities and
economies. For example, Grant Park, located just north of the area, has
experienced an influx of professionals such as lawyers and architects. Grant Park
has undergone a revitalization of single-family homes for reasons that make this
area attractive to potential home buyers; location close to the downtown and
midtown areas of Atlanta, and the historic and cultural areas of Little Five
Points and Zoo Atlanta. This area has seen an increase in demand for first-time
homebuyers who are able to buy older houses in the 1,300 to 1,700 square foot
size range at affordable prices. Boulevard Heights and the surrounding
communities are positioned both geographically and economically to share in the
renewal being experienced by surrounding neighborhoods.
From an economic standpoint, increasing the viability of communities like
Boulevard Heights and those adjacent to it equates to increased self-reliance in
terms of attractiveness to potential investors and developers, as well as
increased self-sufficiency in terms of offering value for any input of resources
and benefits they may receive as a result of revitalization in surrounding areas.
By remediating the negative environmental influences of the past, the levels of
positive ecological impact and human satisfaction can be increased within the
communities, and the potential for new economic development within the area can
be magnified. Performing remediation with the support, talent, and input of the
communities can help make the citizens of these communities more self-reliant not
only by providing economic opportunities, but also by increasing residents'
awareness of environmental problems and opportunities in their community.
Ultimately, this will help to enlist residents in the process of ensuring that
future degradation does not occur. However, remediation of past bad practices is
not enough to ensure that future activities will not result in other types or
forms of pollution. Through environmentally conscious planning of remediation and
redevelopment projects, the likelihood of positive subsequent community
development will increase.
COMBINED SEWER SYSTEMS
Overview
Silt is built up and debris trapped in filtering grates at this combined sewer systems site.
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A combined sewer system is designed to carry both sanitary sewage and
stormwater. During normal periods of wet and dry weather these systems should be
able to carry all sanitary flow to the wastewater treatment plant for full
treatment to water quality standards to comply with permitting obligations.
During periods of heavy rainfall, the carrying capacity of the sewer may be
exceeded and a combined sewer overflow (CSO) may occur. Relief points where
overflow occurs are usually designed into the system at treatment facilities.
Unfortunately, untreated water bypasses the facility and is discharged directly
in rivers and streams.
Studies have shown that contaminants entering streams from the combined sewer
overflows are directly related to the industries located along the river or
stream and either discharge directly into the water or flush contaminants into
the system during stormwater events. Contaminants commonly found in such
discharges include heavy metals, pesticides, and PCBs.
Atlanta's CSO Plan
Atlanta is addressing its combined sewer system as a result of legal action
taken against the city, as well as through Atlanta's efforts to upgrade its sewer
system and improve the quality of the rivers and streams that flow through the
metropolitan area. The Metropolitan Atlanta Urban Watershed Initiative (MAUWI)
was begun in 1996 to understand the factors that influence watersheds around the
metropolitan area and help governments, environmentalists, regulators,
businesses, schools and others protect and enhance the watersheds. MAUWI seeks
to:
- Proactively deal with citizen concerns and regulatory ambiguity about the combined sewer system and its impact on urban streams.
- Provide a way of prioritizing the regional environmental projects competing for federal money.
- Provide interested groups with education and technical guidance about the current status of their streams, as well as watershed improvement options.
- Bring together the stakeholders in Atlanta's watersheds for greater coordination and communication.1
Atlanta has 10 CSO "points" or areas where overflow of storm and sanitary
water bypass treatment facilities and enter creeks. Three of these have had the
sewer and storm water systems separated, while the other seven have had control
facilities built to address the overflow problems.
Intrenchment Creek Basin
Trash is trapped in bushes alongside an open culvert.
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The Intrenchment Creek Basin is in the northeast portion of the East
Watershed, an area within metropolitan Atlanta that drains to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Intrenchment Creek Basin encompasses approximately 7,200 acres of
residential, commercial, forest/open space, and institutional land use. The
Confederate and Boulevard CSOs, the Custer CSO Facility, the Intrenchment Creek
CSO and the Intrenchment Creek Water Reclamation Center all serve the basin.
Studies of Intrenchment Creek have found that benthic and fish integrity are
severely impaired in some places, with the cause being identified as stormwater
runoff and combined sewer overflows.
2 CSO overflow and effluent combine for 80%
of the biological oxygen demand (BOD) loading of 570,000 lbs./yr.; 59% of the 5.1
million lbs./yr. total suspended solids (TSS) loadings; 76% of the total
phosphorus loading of 13,000 lbs./yr.; 76% of the zinc loading of 5,000 lbs./yr.;
95% of the fecal coliform loadings of 6.1E+18 total lbs./yr.; and 61% of the
source flow contribution of 3,800 lbs./yr.
3
The impact of the CSO on the communities of Boulevard Heights and others has
been notable. During significant rain events, the water may rise more than 15
feet and spill over the sides of the drainage culverts, as evidenced by pictures
of debris trapped in trees and bushes growing alongside the culverts. A great
deal of this water cannot be treated by the system and flows around the facility
directly into Intrenchment Creek where it impacts the watershed further
downstream. Untreated, contaminated debris is trapped in trees and bushes as the
water rushes into the Creek, where it creates an eyesore and potential health
problem.
In March 1999, the Stream Cleanup Project removed trash and debris from the
banks and streambeds of Intrenchment Creek as part of the terms of the legal
agreement between the City and EPA. Over 60 tons of trash was removed from
approximately 5 miles of the creek, including over 8 tons of scrap tires.
LANDFILL
East Confederate Avenue Landfill
A culvert flows into the Intrenchment Creek Treatment Facility at the East Confederate Avenue Landfill.
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The East Confederate Avenue Landfill lies adjacent to the Boulevard Heights
area (MAP). Operation of the landfill began in the early 1950s by the Georgia
National Guard. It is not known the exact types of waste accepted or if there
were restrictions placed on the type of material that could be accepted at the
site. Up until the early 1970s there were no federal or state permitting laws
governing the landfill's operations. At that time, the City of Atlanta began
operating the landfill, and debris from construction and demolition projects was
disposed of at the site. Most of the 20-acre site is still owned by the state of
Georgia, while the City of Atlanta owns about 2 acres.
In January 1998 the City of Atlanta began the permanent closure of the
landfill to meet state and federal regulations on landfill closure. The site has
been excavated and regraded during closure, and fill dirt has been trucked in.
Air quality around the landfill, gas migration from the landfill and groundwater
quality will be monitored. Closure was scheduled to be complete by the end of
1998.
BROWNFIELD PROPERTY
Neighborhood residents have evidence of illegal dumping on this brownfield property located in the Boulevard Heights community of Atlanta.
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These communities are also affected by a brownfield property located on
Confederate Avenue between Avondale and Custer Avenues. Brownfields are
abandoned, idled, or under used properties where expansion or redevelopment is
complicated by real or perceived environmental conditions. This property consists
of 23 parcels that sit vacant and tax delinquent. Since the 1950s the community
has suspected and claims to have proof that illegal dumping has occurred both on
the property and in the East Confederate Avenue landfill. The current owner of
the 23 parcels has expressed a desire to donate the land to a land bank or the
city of Atlanta for subsequent use by the community. Due to liability concerns
related to environmental cleanup required of owners of contaminated property,
neither entity is interested in taking title to the property. Interest in the
property has been expressed by potential buyers/developers on several occasions,
but the environmental hazards have squelched any efforts to develop the site.
However, state and federal legislation aimed at stimulating the redevelopment of
brownfield properties by limiting liability of purchasers who have neither caused
nor contributed to the property's pollution may facilitate revitalization
efforts. Attempts to obtain environmental data from previous environmental site
assessments have been unsuccessful.
The Boulevard Heights area has been adversely impacted by the presence of the
CSO, landfill, and brownfield. However, efforts are underway that address these
issues and the area is poised to reap the benefits from these efforts. Much work
is yet to be done, but residents of this area are optimistic that redevelopment
will continue with the ultimate goal of a clean and healthy community being
obtained.
ENDNOTES
- Draft Report: Watershed Management Guidance Document, Metro Atlanta Urban Watersheds Initiative. Prepared for City of Atlanta Department of Public Works, Division of Wastewater Services. Prepared by CH2MHILL in association with W.L. Jordan and R&D Environmental, June 1998. Footnote
- Georgia Environmental Protection Division Report 305(b) as cited in Draft Report: Watershed Management Guidance Document, Metro Atlanta Urban Watersheds Initiative. Prepared for City of Atlanta Department of Public Works, Division of Wastewater Services. Prepared by CH2MHILL in association with W.L. Jordan and R&D Environmental, June 1998. Footnote
- Ibid. p.23. Footnote
