Connections Along the River - The Crooked Creek WRF Story
Watch how densification helps preserve the vitality of the Chattahoochee River and its surrounding communities.
The Chattahoochee River is one of the most heavily used surface water bodies in Georgia, serving as the main source of drinking water for the Atlanta metro area, while providing recreation to millions of Georgia residents and a home to a broad diversity of wildlife.
The award-winning Crooked Creek Water Reclamation Facility sends treated water to “the Hooch” and the challenge of preserving the river’s water quality has grown significantly over time. Crooked Creek is Gwinnett County’s oldest wastewater treatment facility, purchased in 1972 when the population of the County was just over 84,000. Originally designed to treat one million gallons per day (mgd), the WRF now treats 16 mgd to help serve the nearly one million residents of Gwinnett County.
One way Gwinnett County protects the Hooch today is by employing process densification at Crooked Creek. Densification refers to the increased speed at which solids settle out of the water during the treatment process. Densification enables Crooked Creek to treat more wastewater within its existing tanks, so Gwinnett can serve more residents without needing to invest more time and money into expanding the facility. That's great news for residents of Gwinnett County and for others who rely on the river. It's also great news for the environment.
