The City of Savannah has informed its water customers about an operational incident at the Industrial & Domestic (I&D) Water Treatment Plant. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to the city following this incident. Despite the violation, the city assured that water quality standards were maintained during and after the event.
According to the NOV, customers will receive notifications by mail, with a deadline set for July 7, 2025. The I&D Water Treatment Plant processes approximately 50 million gallons per day from Abercorn Creek through a regulated procedure to ensure potable water distribution.
On May 12, 2025, plant staff increased aluminum sulfate dosage due to heavy rainfall affecting raw water conditions. Aluminum sulfate is used as a coagulant in water treatment to separate particles for easier removal. On May 15, a portion of raw water entered with reduced coagulant levels, leading to elevated turbidity readings of around 2.0 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), above the optimal level of below 0.30 NTU.
Corrective actions were taken immediately upon detection at 10:15 p.m., and by early morning on May 16, operations returned to normal. EPD was notified on May 16 about the incident. Testing conducted on May 16 and May 17 confirmed compliance with required standards without necessitating a boil water notice.
In response to this incident, operator retraining has been implemented and standard operating procedures have been enhanced for handling variable raw water quality conditions.
For further information, residents can contact Savannah’s Office of Water Resources at 912-651-6573.
