The Cornelia Water Pollution Control Plant was first constructed at its present location in 1961. The original treatment plant consisted of a trickling filter with polishing pond and a single anerobic digester.
In 1966, the treatment plant was expanded to accommodate a new industry that wanted to locate in Cornelia. This new Industry was Fieldale Farms a poultry processing plant. The 1966 expansion involved installation of a new larger trickling filter and a second anaerobic digester.
As the City and Fieldale continued to grow, the treatment plant was once again expanded and upgraded in 1979. During the 1979 upgrade and expansion, an activated sludge basin was added, and the polishing pond was deactivated in favor of using it as an emergency holding pump.
The treatment plant was upgraded in 1995 due to the increasingly more stringent discharge requirements imposed by the GA EPD. The upgrade consisted of drying beds for sludge disposal, influent station with screening and grit removal, primary clarifiers, new aeration basin consisting of 8 individual cells, secondary clarifiers, sand filters and chlorine contact chamber. The digesters were converted from anaerobic digesters to aerobic digesters.
The treatment plant was expanded again in 2008 with a new belt press & building, new screening at head works and new course bubble aeration for the digesters with decanting abilities.
In 2010 the plant was upgraded by adding another aeration basin consisting of 4 more individual cells. The new aeration basin and the existing aeration basin was upgraded to fine bubble diffused air to help reduce ammonia levels. A chemical feed building was added with the ability to feed chemicals to help precipitate out phosphorous.
In 2020 the plant deactivated and removed the sand filters and replaced with two disk filters. The disk filters were put in place to continue to help meet stricter permit limits for phosphorous removal.
The City of Cornelia is in the design and approval phase of an expansion to 4.5 million gallons a day at the Water Pollution Control Plant. The projected starting time of the new expansion and upgrade is to start in 2023. The new expansion and upgrade will consist of a new headworks, additional primary clarifier, another aeration basin with 4 individual cells, settling basin or chemical clarifier, 2 more disk filters and expanded chlorine contact chamber.
The Cornelia City Commission Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 3, 2026 has bee rescheduled to Tuesday, February 10, 2026.