Army Corps of Engineers to conduct $1 million study of Atlanta water lines

The Savannah District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday that it is collaborating with the City of Atlanta on a “risk, resiliency and waterline condition study” of one million dollars.

The assessment, planned over the next two years, will assess potential risks to the water and sewer system and aim to improve the resiliency of some 3,000 miles of pipes overseen by the Atlanta Department of Watersheds.

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is here on the ground and just getting started,” Dickens said June 5 in announcing that repairs to the city’s water main breaks were complete.

According to the federal agency, the comprehensive study aims to develop a prioritized list of actions the city can take to anticipate any potential disruptions in the future. The teams will estimate the remaining life cycle of the city’s pipelines and suggest long-term capital projects needed moving forward.

“This is crucial as the city continues to grow and prepare for the future,” the Army Corps said in a news release.

The City of Atlanta has its own internal capital improvement plan and assessment of pipes that are nearing the end of their service life – or in many cases, well past the point where they should be replaced .

But fixing Atlanta’s water infrastructure problems comes at a high cost.

“I will ask the federal government for more money, a lot more money,” Dickens said earlier this month. “It will be a number that will be in the “B” category, billions. It won’t be a small number.