Mayor Andre Dickens provides update on Atlanta’s water crisis

ATLANTA — Atlanta’s water crisis began more than a week ago. Although the boil water notice has been lifted, Atlanta residents are still dealing with the impact of water main breaks.

11Alive spoke one-on-one with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens on Friday about the city’s plans with the Army Corps of Engineers and what it’s doing to help residents and businesses.

The mayor also looked at the city’s aging pipes, some of which were almost a century old!

RELATED: Water pipes that broke in Atlanta were nearly 100 years old, city says

Mayor Andre Dickens said he met with the Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday to assess and develop a plan for Atlanta’s water crisis.

Dickens said earlier this week that he contacted the Biden-Harris administration and that Sen. Jon Ossoff and Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock helped put the Army Corps of Engineers on the ground.

“Over the last two days they’ve been taking notes and doing assessments, and it’s going to take them a while to finalize a report, but they’re working quickly. I’m impressed with the conversations we’ve had,” Dickens said .

The mayor added that the city’s director of strategy, Peter Aman, worked around the clock with the military corps.

The mayor appointed the Blue Ribbon Commission, a group of experts with experience in water infrastructure, who will help implement solutions.

RELATED: Atlanta Water Main Break: U.S. Army Corps Arrives to Assess City’s Aging Infrastructure

The mayor said the Blue Ribbon Commission is expected to meet next week and then will develop a plan to address the city’s timeline for next steps after the water main break.

“We’re going to try to do a thorough job and make sure we do a full assessment of the city’s water infrastructure. So it’s going to take a little bit of time, but hopefully the plans and the strategy will be revealed soon. here this year and hopefully this quarter so we can start working on it,” Dickens said. “I want to get this done as soon as possible so we can go to the federal government and legitimately ask them to help this great city in the United States transition this water infrastructure to modern technology.”

RELATED: Committee selected to help repair Atlanta’s aging infrastructure following major water main breaks

Dickens said once the city has a plan in place, he will seek funding from the Biden-Harris administration, the federal government and state partners to help after the pipeline ruptures. main water.

The mayor added that he was going to tell them, “Hey, this is what it looks like. Here are the things that can take Atlanta from being a state like any other, which is Grade C infrastructure across America, to Grade A infrastructure.” This is going to prepare this city for anything what it has in store for the future.

Dickens said while they are still developing a plan to help residents amid Atlanta’s water crisis, he has allocated a $5 million fund to help small businesses.

Small businesses will soon be able to apply for these funds to help employees who may have been displaced for a few days or those who have lost wages.

The mayor said each year the city of Atlanta experiences about 500 water main breaks. The mayor and the Blue Ribbon Commission are working on short- and long-term plans.

“As people have said across the country, these are the faults of today, these are the faults of decades, but now this is my problem that I have to try to solve for this city, and I I’m committed to it. We’re working hard. We’re bringing in the smartest possible experts in the country and those who are locally here in Atlanta so that we don’t have a disaster and we don’t have a problem like this again. which reproduces itself,” said Dickens.

The mayor said the next step would be to determine how city officials could respond more quickly to water main breaks. Dickens wants the commission to work on the following points:

• How to find water valves faster.
• How to identify which water valves are working and which are not.
• How to map Atlanta’s water system.

“I promise you that I will be here, answering all the questions; I am here today. I come here day and night so that I can meet the needs of the city, and we will get through this together,” he said. -he adds.