What Atlanta is doing to prevent another water crisis

ATLANTA – More than a month after multiple water main breaks plunged Atlanta into a water crisis, several Atlanta City Council members met Tuesday with the Department of Watershed Management and other city leaders to discuss ongoing efforts to repair Atlanta’s aging water infrastructure.

“The $1.4 billion investment is a start, but we recognize there are other opportunities to modernize our facilities,” said Al Wiggins, Jr., commissioner of the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.

The infrastructure improvement plan has been in the works for years, long before the pipe breaks in Vine City and Midtown. In the weeks since the massive breaks, Atlanta has formed a water advisory committee. It is also conducting an assessment of the entire system with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The city says some pipes are at least 100 years old.

Aging Water Infrastructure in Atlanta

A water main break at the intersection of Joseph E. Boone Blvd. NW and James P. Brawley Dr. NW caused a citywide water outage on May 31, 2024. (FOX 5)

Atlanta City Hall says that while water main breaks are down, what happened a few weeks ago can’t happen again. It’s now embarking on a decades-long effort to modernize the city’s water infrastructure.

“This is an assessment of our current drinking water system. You’ve seen the inventory of the age of the pipes, but that doesn’t directly relate to the condition of those pipes,” said Peter Aman, chief strategy officer for the city of Atlanta.

The city says the assessment is underway, but will take a year and a half to complete.

SEE ALSO: How Much Money Has Atlanta’s Water Crisis Cost Local Businesses?

Once that’s done, it will determine if and when certain pipes will need to be dug up and replaced.

“There is no need to replace the entire system based on the pipes,” Aman said. “The life span of a pipe can be 75 years or more.”

A second major water main break, this time on 11th Street at West Peachtree Road in Midtown Atlanta, on May 31, 2024. (FOX 5)

Atlanta Infrastructure Improvement Plan

Since the water main ruptured a few weeks ago, the city says it has already learned from the experience. The goal going forward is to make sure Atlanta is ready for the future.

“This is a problem that has been brewing for a long time and so, even though it is not a problem created by this council or this administration, it is all of our problems to solve,” Aman said.

Tuesday’s meeting came just hours after the deadline for businesses affected by water main breaks to apply for assistance. The city says it is currently reviewing more than 500 applications to get funding out as quickly as possible.