ATLANTA — As Atlanta's water crisis continues after a major water main broke last Friday and a second broke over the weekend, a team from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has arrived in Atlanta.
The team arrived on day five of the water crisis, which has left many Atlantans without regular access to water.
Col. Matthew McCulley with the U.S. Army Corps shared with 11Alive that it was first contacted by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens this weekend right around the time he declared the city was under a state of emergency.
McCulley described how the Corps has had virtual conversations with the Mayor's office, but Tuesday will be the first time their entire team will meet in person. The first order of business: assessing the situation.
“We'll be looking at the system, what are the problems with the system, and (making) potential recommendations to the mayor’s team on what could be done going forward," McCulley said.
In a statement Monday night, Mayor Dickens said he requested help from the Corps because it has the most experience in handing a crisis like this, and it "will help us develop a plan to assess and evaluate our aging infrastructure."
The city and the corps are now investigating the viability of doing a Planning Assistance to States study to perform a full physical and operational assessment of the entire water system of Atlanta, according to a press release from the corps.
McCulley told 11Alive a technical engineer from the Army Corps' waste water center out of its Mobile district, as well as a planning engineer from its Savannah district, will be arriving to offer "technical assistance."
“What the team will do is look at the plans and specs of the city’s water infrastructure as a whole system and just really how to advise the way forward," Col. McCulley explained.
McCulley said while the Corps won't be aiding in repairing current ongoing issues like those at the break in Midtown on 11th Street, it will be working to ensure other breaks of this magnitude don't happen again in the future.
The team of U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is expected to be in Atlanta through at least the end of repair work, but officials said it will adjust on an as-needed basis to accommodate the needs of the mayor's office.