Committee of the Whole - HR Training Room — Minutes
Open official source ↗ · Source page 3
6:00 PM
City of Smyrna
Mayor and Council Meeting
2800 King Street SE
Human Resources Training Room
Page 3 of 9
• CCMWA is the largest wholesale provider of drinking water in the state with
average daily demand of 76.5 MGD in 2025.
• CCMWA receives no direct tax revenue. The only operational revenue CCMWA
receives is from water sales and laboratory services.
Water Quality
Water quality is of utmost importance -
• We know taste and odor issues, PFAS, lead, copper, and emerging contaminants
are of particular concern to those we serve.
• In September 2025, levels of the taste- and odor-causing compound Methyl-
Isoborneol (MIB), which is produced by certain types of algae, increased
dramatically in the Chattahoochee River, exceeding 135 parts per trillion (ppt),
more than 700% above the previous record high.
o MIB does not pose a health threat, but it does cause unpleasant taste and
odor at levels as low as 10 ppt.
o Currently, the Authority’s Quarles WTP can remove MIB at concentrations
up to ~45 ppt using powdered activated carbon.
o The Authority is conducting a study of advanced treatment options in 2026
to determine the best path forward for addressing future increases in MIB
levels.
• In 2025, the Authority continued proactively testing for PFAS.
o Source water samples and finished water samples taken from the
Authority’s drinking water treatment plants were all below United States
Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant levels.
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• In January 2024, after six years of corrosion-control optimization study, the
Authority began using orthophosphate in its drinking water for corrosion control.
o Testing throughout 2024 and 2025 has found that lead and copper leaching
from consumer on-premises plumbing remains well below regulatory limits.
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• The Authority is acutely aware of public concern related to fluoridation of drinking
water.
o Currently, Georgia state law and EPA guidelines require the Authority to
add fluoride to the water supply (.70 ppm) to enhance public health,
specifically for preventing tooth decay.
• Plastics have become pervasive in modern life, raising concerns about their
potential to harm humans and the environment.
• Microplastics are generally recognized as plastic particles ranging in size from 5
millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser) to 1 nanometer. For comparison, a
strand of human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide.
o Earlier this year, the Authority proactively tested for microplastics in its
finished drinking water from both water treatment plants. No microplastics
were found.
• The Authority is required by the Safe Drinking Water Act to sample for
radionuclides in drinking water sourced from the Chattahoochee River every 6
years and from Allatoona Lake every 9 years.
o In 2025, samples were taken from drinking water sourced from the
Chattahoochee River as required but were lost in shipment by FedEx to the
laboratory in Pennsylvania, resulting in a “sampling violation”.
o Earlier this year, the Authority resampled drinking water sourced from the
Chattahoochee River. Levels of radionuclides were well below maximum
contaminant levels.