Meet JC
JC is a drop of water from the Chattahoochee River. It was withdrawn and cleaned at a drinking water treatment plant and then pumped to homes and
businesses. From there JC was used for many different purposes like washing your clothes, cleaning you in a shower, or refreshing your thirst. JC was then
sent down your pipes and through the sewer collection system to the Johns Creek Environmental Campus (JCEC) facility for cleaning and treatment.
Along its journey, JC has gotten quite dirty with many different contaminants. The JCEC will clean all of these from JC and make it clean again to be able
to be reused for irrigation or to be discharged back to the Chattahoochee where it can be used again downstream. As you travel the JCEC, you will observe
how each of the following contaminants are removed in each of the different steps of treatment.
Joh ns C r e e k E nv i r onme nt al C amp u s
I’m ready to start my
Trash
JOURNEY to be Cleaned!
Larger pieces of trash, including pieces
of plastic, small bits of wood, and
cigarette butts, find their way into the
collection system.
Grit
Grit is primarily small particles of
heavy sand, gravel and rocks that enter
the sewer system through inflow and
infiltration.
Pathogens
Oxygen
Pathogens from human waste include
bacteria and viruses that can be harmful
and spread disease.
The dissolved oxygen level of incoming
wastewater is depressed and must be
raised to allow oxygen-rich water to
return to the river.
Nutrients
Scum
Incoming waste has high levels of
phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia
associated with human, industrial and
food waste disposed of through garbage
disposals.
Scum includes floating fats, oil and
grease that are dumped down the sink.
Inorganic Solids
Turbidity
Fine Debris
A portion of the incoming solids is
inorganic and is not able to be treated
biologically.
Turbidity is the clarity of the water and
dissolved and suspended material that
has collected in the wastewater giving
the water a cloudy appearance.
Fine debris includes very small pieces
of hair, plastic, wood, cloth or other
material that have broken off larger trash
and debris during the collection process.