As 2025 approaches, the city of Atlanta and its residents are still working to recover from a number of unfortunate circumstances and problems that developed in 2024.
Some were isolated events, like the water main breaks that disrupted the city, and others are ongoing issues that haven’t been resolved, like sewage in the Chattahoochee River.
All are things that the city of Atlanta should try to leave behind in 2024.
E. coli in the Chattahoochee River
Over the past couple of years, ongoing sewage spills have polluted stretches of the Chattahoochee River that flow through Atlanta. This year, the river has tested for high levels of E. coli since March. The presence of E. coli is an indicator of other harmful bacteria that poses a risk to public health and to wildlife.
In September, the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit against the City of Atlanta in response. In May, Atlanta was fined by the Environmental Protection Division for pollution in 2022 and 2023, during which there were 106 documented sewage spills.
A massive sewage spill in the summer of 2023 shut down recreation activities at the river for weeks. Local groups that caught the spill are still seeking answers on how it occurred and questioning how it was handled.
Unconstitutional conditions at the Fulton County Jail
The U.S. Department of Justice recently found that the Fulton County Jail is violating the civil rights of people in custody. It found the use of excessive force against people jailed, a failure to protect people from violence, and unsanitary and unsafe conditions were found in the jail. Conditions were described as inhumane, violent and hazardous.
At least 10 people died in custody in 2023, including Lashawn Thompson who died due to severe neglect. At least three have died in the jail this year, and two additional people died in Fulton County custody while housed in other facilities.
Overcrowding is also an issue at the jail, and community members have urged the state legislature to invest in diversion programs.
Trial delays
Trial delays in the justice system have led to a snowballing of backlogged cases statewide, leaving people awaiting justice in limbo. For two years, delays were largely caused by the YSL gang and racketeering trial in Fulton County, with Atlanta rapper Young Thug at its center.
It was the longest trial in Georgia history. Jury selection began in January 2023, opening statements were made in November 2023, and the last remaining defendants were acquitted from murder charges this December.
The two-year process snarled the justice system statewide. Notably, it delayed the death penalty trial for the man accused in the 2021 Atlanta spa shooting. Chief Judge Ural Glanville, assigned to the death penalty trial, was held up for months presiding over the YSL trial before he was replaced.
Water main breaks
A significant water main break on May 31 led to a two-day water outage for many homes and businesses near downtown Atlanta. It took nearly a day for the pipes to be repaired, but a boil water notice was issued for much of the city for longer.
Days later, another water main break occurred in Midtown, spilling water into the streets. The two water main breaks disrupted the city’s water for seven days straight, leaving thousands of people with either no water, low water pressure or nondrinkable water.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens faced criticism for the city’s inadequate response to keeping the public informed of the emergency. After the first water main break, Dickens took nearly 24 hours to make an official statement after the first water main break. And residents weren’t notified about a boil water advisory for 21 hours after it went into effect.
Invasive species
This year, there have been spottings of invasive species in Atlanta and Georgia — non-native species that are harmful to native critters, crops, and nature itself.
The population of Joro spiders has grown in the southeast and Atlanta is home to a high concentration of them. But they certainly don’t belong here.
Neither do spotted lantern flies, which are destroying trees on the East Coast. Scientists say these insects could be detrimental to Georgia crops. This rapidly multiplying insect was recently confirmed to have invaded Fulton County.
It’s not just insects. Chinese Mystery Snails were found in Lake Lanier, and wildlife officials say these snails can harm boats and ecosystems. They are categorized as an aquatic nuisance.
Canceled Delta flights
On July 19, a Microsoft communications outage grounded flights for several airlines worldwide, including Delta Air Lines, American and United. Thousands of travelers were left stranded at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike was found responsible for the global outage after it pushed a faulty security update. Delta was affected particularly hard and canceled over 7,000 flights over a five-day period.
Delta filed a lawsuit against CrowdStrike in October, saying that the outage cost them over $500 million dollars. Travelers affected by the outage filed a class-action lawsuit against the airline, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating why Delta took longer to recover than other airlines, as well as its customer service missteps.
Postal service delays
USPS mail delays have impacted Georgia throughout the year. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff has been pressing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for answers. He highlighted worries that absentee ballots wouldn’t be delivered on time for the November election, among other concerns like slow delivery of medications and tax returns.
According to the Associated Press, Georgia ranked as the worst-performing state in a Postal Service performance report for the second quarter of the year. Early in the year, on-time delivery of first-class mail was at 36%. Georgia lawmakers point to a postal facility hub in Palmetto as the source of many delays statewide.
In June, Ossoff called for the mail problems to be investigated.
Leaving behind…pandas
Atlanta said goodbye to its only panda residents when Zoo Atlanta sent its four pandas to China after the end of a 25-year agreement with the country.
Chinese-born panda parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang, along with their Atlanta-born twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun, departed the zoo in October. And for a few months, they were the only pandas living in America.
New agreements were struck to bring pandas stateside again — this time, to Washington, D.C. and San Diego. But the panda-mania in Atlanta lives on through the zoo’s commitment to supporting giant panda conservation.
Atlanta left behind our pandas in 2024. Let’s bring some back in 2025!
