ATLANTA — At least 13% of Atlanta’s water pipes were installed prior to 1941, and more than 5% of all pipes were placed in the ground over a century ago, according to data shared with Atlanta City Council at a work session this week.
Atlanta officials are coming up with a strategy for the decades of work ahead to maintain, replace and upgrade the city’s aging water infrastructure, following a dayslong crisis from late May to early June that left thousands of residents and businesses without reliable service.
“This is a problem a long time in the making,” Peter Aman, chief strategy officer for the office of Mayor Andre Dickens, said at the work session Tuesday. “While it is not a problem that this Council or this administration created, it is our problem collectively to resolve and get the city on a firm foundation for reliable service and future growth.
A couple of major water mains ruptured on May 31 at James P. Brawley Drive and Joseph E. Boone Boulevard in Vine City and West Peachtree and 11th streets in Midtown. A boil advisory remained in effect for much of the city for several days, leading city officials to set aside $7.5 million for small businesses affected by the disruption.
Both incidents involved aging pipes, one of which was installed in 1910 and the other in 1930. A valve excavated from the Midtown site dates back to the 1920s.