The series of severe water main breaks that left thousands of businesses and residents without service last year also left city of Atlanta leaders with a clear message: they need help in revamping the city’s crumbing water infrastructure.
Local elected officials, including Mayor Andre Dickens, acknowledged that the cost of repairing and replacing vulnerable points in the system goes far beyond the city budget.
The Biden administration promised help, offering the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ expertise in conducting a two-year, $1 million study of the water system’s vulnerabilities and maintenance needs for about 3,000 miles of pipes.
Biden signed into law the City of Atlanta Water Infrastructure Enhancement Act on Jan. 4. It’s part of a broad water infrastructure bill that authorizes the Army Corps to get to work.
Credit: John Spink
Credit: John Spink
The bill was spearheaded by U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams also introduced a companion bill in the House.
The law expands the authority of the Army Corps to conduct infrastructure projects in Atlanta with the goal of improving the system’s life span and efficiency. It also paves the way for more federal funding.
Much of Atlanta’s water and sewer system date back to the 1860s.
“Clean, safe, healthy drinking water is not a luxury — it’s a necessity,” Ossoff said in a statement. “That’s why after disruptions in Atlanta, we passed this legislation into law to help upgrade Atlanta’s water infrastructure.”
Warnock said infrastructure needs often go unnoticed or under-discussed until disasters strike — much like last spring’s sudden breaks. “Highlighting why it is so important to secure investments today that will protect Georgia’s water infrastructure tomorrow,” he said in a statement.
In June, Georgia’s federal lawmakers earmarked the $993,500 in federal funds needed for the Army Corps to conduct its sweeping review.
There was some concern among elected officials that the transition to a Trump administration would impact the federal aid. Dickens said his office has already talked to Trump officials about the money. “We said: ‘This is an infrastructure issue — it’s not a Republican or Democrat issue,’” the mayor said. “The water-sewer situation is important for the region.”
Earlier this month the federal agency announced it had awarded an $800,000 contract to Atlanta-based engineering firm HDR Engineering Inc. to help conduct the “Risk, Resiliency, and Water Line Condition Assessment Study for the City of Atlanta.” The firm will take existing water line data and perform a model analysis to help identify which pipes should be prioritized for repair or replacement.
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