City: More sensors, jobs added to prevent future Atlanta water main breaks

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – During a work session on Tuesday, Atlanta City Council members and department heads discussed ways to prevent major water main breaks like the ones that impacted residents and businesses over a month ago.

During a presentation, city leaders showed data indicating so far this year, there have been 176 water main breaks. There were 374 water main breaks in 2023.

Those leading Tuesday’s City Utilities Committee Work Session discussed how Atlanta can better respond and prevent water issues because of aging infrastructure.

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

Aman said before major pipes are replaced, the Army Corps of Engineers will step in and assess the major water mains that need to be upgraded.

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

Aman said the overall time 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,” an Atlanta resident said during Tuesday’s public comment period.

RELATED: City council approves relief fund for businesses affected by Atlanta water main breaks

While the city leaders can’t turn back time, they said they are adding more sensors to prevent major main breaks in the future.

“So those sensors will give us early warnings about small cracks that then become leaks,” said Aman.

Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management Commission Al Wiggins Jr. said the department is also adding several positions to their team, including a water resources planner.

“Now we have a dedicated crew and a consultant that focuses on low water pressure issues which is sometimes indicative of a water main or potential water main break,” Wiggins said.

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

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