U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announces $1 million assessment study of Atlanta water system

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – After Atlanta’s water system suffered two massive outages and days of service interruptions, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it was responding with a million-dollar infrastructure assessment study.

A collaboration between the Corps’ Savannah and Mobile districts, the study will calculate risks and help leaders plan how to address system issues. The evaluation is expected to take at least two years, according to the Corps.

“The assessment will provide a cost-effective, reliable and defensible strategy for determining the existing condition and an estimate of the remaining useful life of the pipelines, as well as provide long-term investment planning for any necessary remedial measures, including rehabilitation or replacement. “, the Corps said in a statement. “This is crucial as the city continues to grow and prepare for the future.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Everything We Know About Atlanta’s Water Main Breaks

The study is part of the Corps’ State Planning Assistance Program, which helps states address a variety of water management issues.

On May 31, large water mains broke at the intersections of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW and James P. Brawley Drive as well as 11th Street and West Peachtree Street NW. With the taps running dry, countless office buildings, government facilities and businesses closed their doors, while residents were also left without water. A boil water advisory has been issued in the heart of the city.

Service was fully restored on June 5. The notice was lifted the next day.

The outages are due to aging infrastructure, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other city officials have said. The Midtown pipe that burst was installed in 1883, according to a city employee.

“I want us to be the example of solving all of this. And it will be a number that will be in the “B” category: billions. It won’t be a small number,” Dickens said at a news conference. “But I think it will give our residents more confidence.”

The city announced a $5 million aid package for businesses affected by water outages. It also plans to install hundreds of AI-driven devices that can detect water leaks beneath Midtown, Downtown and the Westside.

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