Atlanta’s water crisis shows how failing infrastructure disproportionately harms marginalized communities

The recent Atlanta water crisis denied many Georgians access to clean water earlier this month — mirroring racist infrastructure and policies across the country that disproportionately impact marginalized people, particularly low-income and diverse communities.

The main breaks occurred on May 31 and were likely caused by aging and unmaintained pipes across Atlanta. For nearly a week, residents were on a boil water notice and were forced to pick up cases of clean water from local fire stations. The emergency was cleared June 6 after sampling determined that standards met the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act.

City officials issued an apology to those “affected by this unexpected disruption.”

But equitable infrastructure and safe water advocates don’t think emergencies like these are unexpected or unforeseen as officials stated.

“In the coming decades, it will take billions to repair our aging drinking water infrastructure and prepare for the impacts of climate change,” said Jaron Rothkop, the operations and financial director of 501CTHREE, an environmental nonprofit that helps provide clean water to communities while minimizing use of plastics.

“Our BIPOC communities have suffered the most from systematic disinvestment and have the fewest resources to invest in drinking water safety. If we don’t change our approach to funding drinking water systems, we are headed toward a future where our most vulnerable citizens are the most at risk from the health impacts of contaminated water.”

Atlanta’s water management department repaired water main breaks on two major 48- and 36-inch lines that carry large volumes of water to the metropolitan area.

A meeting scheduled by the city’s utility commission to investigate the water crisis this week was postponed to July 9. Officials also announced that Atlanta will install “AI-enhanced devices” on pipes to detect water line breaks and will seek up to billions in funds from the federal government to improve the infrastructure.

Access to clean drinking water, safe pools and uncontaminated swimming spots has long been restricted for marginalized groups, particularly Black communities. Advocates say poor infrastructure in low-income neighborhoods, in addition to systemic racism, demonstrates how negligence can be just as destructive to the community as malice.

Low-income communities of color are more likely to have contaminated drinking water, experience utility shut-offs and struggle to afford bills due to inequitable infrastructure, according to research.

Atlanta city leaders this week discussed a proposal to provide $5 million in relief to businesses impacted by the water breaks, WSBTV reported. According to the city’s watershed department, the community could experience up to 30 water main breaks and other emergency repairs each month.

Water infrastructure inequities exist across the country, devastating communities of color in several states. Advocates decry policymakers’ inability to learn from previous disasters like the water crisis in Flint, Michigan and Jackson, Mississippi — which have large populations of Black people.

The Flint water crisis was revealed to be caused by fraud and corruption, while the situation in Jackson – which cut off access to safe drinking water for 150,000 people in August 2022 – appears to be due to decades worth of lack of infrastructure maintenance following freezing storms that caused pipes to burst.

Jackson, Mississippi – like Atlanta – has a sprawling water system, with some mains older than 100 years. Before the 2020 crisis, residents of the city also faced service disruptions, boiling water advisories and concerns of contaminants like E. coli bacteria. Jackson has one of the highest concentrations of Black residents, with Mississippi often listed as one of the poorest states in the U.S.

Advocates said updating infrastructure may be costly, but the benefits would be long-lasting and address racist divestment from the most vulnerable communities,

According to a study by Nature.com, most violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act occur in low-income communities of color, areas with more non-native English speakers, in crowded living arrangements and in locations with less access to transportation. These communities are also more likely to remain with unsafe conditions for longer periods of time.