Atlanta to use AI to detect broken water pipes

The city of Atlanta plans to use artificial intelligence to address its aging water infrastructure, Mayor Andre Dickens announced at a news conference last Wednesday, less than a week after two water pipe breaks water caused damage to businesses, medical facilities, concerts, sporting events and residential neighborhoods. subject to a boil water advisory this weekend and imposed a 72-hour state of emergency.

“We are currently working in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We asked for their help because they have the most experience handling a crisis like this,” Dickens said in a statement June 3, when the Watershed Management Department of Atlanta has lifted the boil water advisory. “They will help us develop a plan to assess our aging infrastructure.”

Dickens said the city will install AI-enhanced devices on water main valves at the sites of the Midtown break, which was repaired last Wednesday, and the break at Boone Boulevard and Brawley Drive in Vine City, which was repaired on June 1.

The mayor said Atlanta could also ask the federal government for money to help improve its water infrastructure, an amount he said could run into the billions.

During the press conference, Dickens also announced the formation of an expert panel on the city’s water infrastructure, including former Mayor Shirley Franklin and CEO of the Metropolitan Area Chamber of Commerce Atlanta, Katie Kirkpatrick.