Dan Whisenhunt
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Decaturish
December 27th, 2024
This story was provided by WABE content partner Decaturish.
U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced they are securing millions to help upgrade water infrastructure in DeKalb County and the city of Atlanta.
The county and city have experienced significant water main breaks this year, including one in May in Atlanta that took days to resolve. While DeKalb County hasn’t had any outages as significant as the one in Atlanta this year, multiple breaks have impacted thousands of customers at different times this year.
DeKalb County’s departing CEO Michael Thurmond said the county is at risk for a “catastrophic” failure of its water system without $4.5 billion in improvements. The county commission is considering increasing water rates to help pay those costs.
According to a press release from the county and Sen. Warnock’s office, Warnock has secured $40 million for water and wastewater projects in DeKalb County.
“Georgians across the state rely on safe, clean, and reliable water for drinking, maintaining homes and businesses, and more,” Warnock said in a press release. “But this is the type of work that goes largely unrecognized until disaster strikes, highlighting why it is so important to secure investments today that will protect Georgia’s water infrastructure tomorrow.”
The money was part of the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2024 that was passed on Dec. 18 in a vote of 97 to 1. The provision in the WRDA, which Ossoff also backed, authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide up to $40 million in planning, design and construction assistance for DeKalb County water projects, the press release says.
“We are grateful for the continued support of Sens. Warnock and Ossoff,” Thurmond said in the press release. “This critical funding will allow DeKalb County to continue to repair, upgrade and modernize its water and sewer infrastructure.”
The same bill also increases authorization for Atlanta’s environmental infrastructure authority from $75 million to $100 million.
“Clean, safe, healthy drinking water is not a luxury — it’s a necessity. For families, for seniors, and for businesses in the community, any interruption of safe drinking water is an emergency,” Ossoff said in a press release.“That’s why after disruptions in Atlanta earlier this year, Senator Reverend Warnock, Congresswoman [Nikema] Williams, and I introduced and have now passed this legislation to help upgrade Atlanta’s water infrastructure.”
