Walker County residents are raising concerns after a consent order from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division details more than 100 wastewater permit violations at the McLemore Water Reclamation Facility in Rising Fawn and places a temporary halt on new development at the resort.
According to the consent order, state inspectors documented 112 permit violations between April 2022 and February 2026 involving wastewater treatment and permit compliance. The violations included repeated exceedances of permitted limits for biochemical oxygen demand, fecal coliform bacteria, turbidity, total suspended solids and wastewater flow.
The order also cites a sewage spill that occurred between Oct. 27 and Oct. 29, 2025, when approximately 60,000 gallons of raw sewage from the McLemore sewer system entered Mill Creek near Tatum Road. McLemore officials said the spill resulted from an unforeseen electrical failure that lasted about 48 hours and described the incident as not preventable. The company said replacement controls were installed immediately after the problem was discovered.
State inspectors also reported the treatment plant was “short-circuiting in every aspect of the treatment process” because of heavy wastewater flow from the resort’s hotel.
In a statement, Davis Ozier of Integrated Science & Engineering told WTVC-TV that water samples collected upstream and downstream of the spill have shown only a negligible increase in fecal coliform levels compared to normal conditions. Ozier said ongoing monitoring indicates the spill posed very little health risk to downstream residents and that long-term impacts to the stream have been minimal.
The consent order also states McLemore failed to begin a planned wastewater treatment plant expansion by the deadline established in a previous corrective action plan and did not submit a required permit renewal application on time.
McLemore officials said the company inherited an outdated wastewater treatment system and existing compliance issues from the previous owner. They said work is underway to modernize the sewer system and that the first permits needed for those improvements have already been accepted.
As part of the agreement with the state, McLemore must submit an updated corrective action plan within 30 days and complete required improvements within 36 months.
The order also immediately places a moratorium on new construction at McLemore Resort, including residential units, employee housing, hotel expansion, golf course improvements, event facilities, pools and other planned developments, until state regulators determine the wastewater treatment system can safely handle additional flow.
The consent order includes a stipulated civil penalty of $111,875. However, McLemore may offset part or all of that amount by completing state-approved corrective actions.