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Georgia Federal Lawmakers File Bill to Fund Atlanta Water System Upgrades – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA — A group of federal lawmakers from Georgia have introduced a bill in Congress to get Atlanta the money it needs to modernize its infrastructure and water facilities.

The legislation comes in response to the water main crisis in June, when thousands of Atlanta residents were left without water for days as a series of water main breaks disrupted traffic, utilities and even events in the city.

Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock introduced the Atlanta Water Infrastructure Improvement Act in the U.S. Senate, while Representative Nikema Williams introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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In June, Ossoff, Warnock and Williams committed nearly $1 million from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2022 to fund the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ review of Atlanta’s aging water system.

Now, the bill filed by the three lawmakers seeks to provide $100 million to modernize the city’s aging distribution network.

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However, Mayor Andre Dickens’ previous remarks indicate that the $100 million, while part of the funding needed, would only cover about 10 percent of the project’s needs.

With the water crisis officially over and recovery underway, city officials reviewed the water system with Army Corps of Engineers personnel.

In his remarks following the review, Dickens said: Channel 2 Action News that billions of dollars could be needed to completely modernize the infrastructure.

As previously noted, many of Atlanta’s pipelines were installed in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, meaning some are 80 years old. Dickens said the age of the system and the need for upgrades meant the city would have to seek federal help.

“I’m going to ask the feds for more money, a lot more money. I want us to be the example of people who solved this problem, and it’s going to be billions. It’s not going to be a small amount,” Dickens said in June.

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