Additional sensors and additional jobs to prevent future water main breaks in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – During a work session Tuesday, Atlanta City Council members and department heads discussed ways to prevent major water main breaks. like those that affected residents and businesses more than a month ago.

In a presentation, city leaders showed data showing that so far this year, there have been 176 water main breaks. There have been 374 water main breaks in 2023.

Leaders at Tuesday’s city Utilities Committee work session discussed how Atlanta can better respond to and prevent water problems due to aging infrastructure.

“There are pipes that are 100 years old,” said Peter Aman, the city’s chief strategy officer.

Aman said that before replacing the main lines, the Army Corps of Engineers will come in and assess the main water lines that need to be upgraded.

“This evaluation will take 18 months,” he said.

Aman said the total time needed to replace all the necessary parts of the water system could take decades.

“If the pipes are old, and we know the pipes are old, this was just waiting to happen,” one Atlanta resident said during Tuesday’s public comment period.

RELATED: City Council Approves Relief Fund for Businesses Affected by Atlanta Water Main Breaks

While city leaders can’t turn back the clock, they said they will add more sensors to prevent major pipe breaks in the future.

“So these sensors will give us early warnings about small cracks that then turn into leaks,” Aman said.

Al Wiggins Jr. of the Atlanta Watershed Management Commission said the department is also adding several positions to its staff, including a water resources planner.

“We now have a dedicated team and consultant who focuses on low water pressure issues, which are sometimes a sign of a water main or a potential water main break,” Wiggins said.

On Tuesday, city leaders said they were about halfway through installing AI leak detection devices as part of an ongoing project. They said they have installed about 90 devices so far.

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