Increasing

Peachtree City's sewage treatment capacity by two million gallons a day

is expected to have some minor effects on the environment.

However, any

of the environmental affects will be mitigated by the time the expansion

projects are completed, said Wynne Grubbs of Arcadis Geraghty and Miller.

A report compiled

for WASA indicates that 15 of 28 types of environments will be impacted

in nature, according to the report, which was presented to the public

at a meeting Tuesday night at City Hall.

No one spoke

in opposition to the plans.

The projects

include expansion of the Rockaway treatment facility, decommissioning

the aged Flat Creek treatment facility and pumping specially treated wastewater

to Planterra Ridge golf course for irrigation use.

Grubbs said

the project's overall impact will be an improvement to the environment

in several ways. The water designated for golf course irrigation will

prevent the golf courses from using water from Line Creek and minimize

the sewer system's affect on the creek during the dry season, Grubbs said.

Also, the quality

of wastewater discharged into the creek will be improved because of new

permit regulations, he said.

WASA also plans

to keep discharging treated wastewater into Flat Creek even though the

Flat Creek facility will be shut down after the expansion. That will help

maintain the wetlands downstream, a move supported by environmentalists,

noted Larry Turner, WASA general manager.

The negative

impacts to the environment include a small amount of wetlands that will

be disturbed to install a pipeline, Grubbs said. After the construction,

the wetlands will be returned to their original state, he added.

The projects

will have very little or no negative impact on protected species or critical

habitats such as streams since no construction is planned near streams,

Grubbs said. Although a survey of the area turned up no sign of protected

species, documentation was found that a particular type of mussel exists

in the area which is on the protected list, Grubbs noted.

The construction

will also have minor impacts on air quality, noise and erosion, but those

impacts will be minimized as much as possible, Grubbs said.

The new storage

ponds for the golf course irrigation program will require the cutting

of some trees, although that will also be minimized, Grubbs noted. After

the expansion is complete, the sewer system will be able to handle more

sludge treatment at the Rockaway plant, he said.

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