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Civil engineer says recent Atlanta water main breaks could be connected – WSB-TV Channel 2

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ATLANTA — It’s a system riddled with problems, civil engineers say, with the city of Atlanta’s decades-old water system.

“The design for this particular infrastructure was created 80 years ago,” Commissioner Al Wiggins said.

Ashli ​​Lincoln, Channel 2 investigative reporter spoke with Iris Tien, professor of civil engineering at Georgia Tech.

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“There is new infrastructure combined with old infrastructure,” Tien said.

Tien says Atlanta’s challenge is updating outdated water pipes as development booms throughout the city.

“There are also questions about how these elements work together and how to know what’s in the soil,” Tien said.

Atlanta Watershed Commissioner Al Wiggins spoke at a news conference Monday about updates on the repairs.

He added that even though the city’s water system is old, that doesn’t mean repairs haven’t been made.

“That’s not to say we haven’t done work, there’s always work being done, especially when there’s development in an area,” Wiggins said.

Lincoln found the most recent data in a 2022 Atlanta Watershed report showing the city repaired more than 373 water main breaks.

The report also highlights the city’s Clean Water Atlanta initiative to improve the city’s aging water system.

In 2022, the city inspected more than 1,500 miles of pipeline and rehabilitated 406 miles.

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Tien says it’s possible the break at James P. Brawley Dr. and Joseph E. Boone Blvd created a chain reaction.

“Maybe the others would have worked if there was nothing disrupting the system – if everything was normal, but because of this triggering event, it led to these other potential failures,” Tien said.

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