DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Among a raft of water-infrastructure-focused legislation, Georgia U.S. Sens. Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff announced a major investment in DeKalb County would help upgrade drinking water and wastewater systems in DeKalb and Cobb counties.
The Water Resource Development Act of 2024 passed the U.S. Senate on Dec. 20, heading to the desk of President Joe Biden to approve or veto.
“Thanks to our bipartisan efforts, I am proud to have advanced efforts to expand the Port of Savannah to accommodate larger vessels that will lead to a greater economic impact for Georgia. This is a testament to the good we can get done when we center the people in policymaking,” Warnock said in a statement.
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According to the legislation, the bill would authorize $40 million for infrastructure projects in DeKalb County and another $5 million for Cobb County.
On top of the provisions for Cobb and DeKalb counties, another $75 to $100 million was appropriated for the City of Atlanta to help provide funding to address June’s catastrophic water system failure.
“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. “That’s why after disruptions in Atlanta earlier this year, Senator Reverend Warnock, Congresswoman Williams, and I introduced and have now passed this legislation to help upgrade Atlanta’s water infrastructure.”
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Additional projects in the metro Atlanta area that received funding through the bill include:
- Atlanta Environmental Infrastructure: This provision increases the authorization for Atlanta’s environmental infrastructure authority from $75 million to $100 million. This request follows the catastrophic failure of Atlanta’s drinking water system in June 2024. This provision authorizes additional funding for a program that Atlanta intends to use to help repair and replace its aging water infrastructure. Following the June water main breaks, Senator Warnock secured nearly $1 million in funding to help Atlanta partner with the Corps to begin a federal review of its water infrastructure with a focus on long-term upgrades.
- DeKalb County Environmental Infrastructure: This provision authorizes $40 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in DeKalb.
- Cobb County Environmental Infrastructure: This provision authorizes $5 million for the Corps to provide drinking water and wastewater infrastructure assistance in Cobb County.
- Porterdale Environmental Infrastructure: This provision authorizes $10 million for drinking water and wastewater projects, including environmental restoration, in Porterdale.
- Camp Creek Tributary Study: This provision authorizes a flood risk management and ecosystem restoration feasibility study along the Camp Creek Tributary in Fulton County.
- College Park Flood Risk Study: This provision authorizes a flood risk management study for College Park, Georgia.
- Proctor Creek Study: This provision authorizes a flood risk management study for Proctor Creek in Smyrna, Georgia.
Outside of the metro area, funding for work at the Port of Savannah and other parts of coastal Georgia include:
- Savannah Harbor Deepening Feasibility Study: Senator Warnock secured a provision directing the Corps to study further deepening and widening the Port of Savannah. With GDOT’s decision to raise the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, Savannah can now accommodate significantly larger vessels, which will require further expansion of the harbor. This request marks the first step in securing USACE approval and support for harbor deepening. In January 2024, Senator Warnock led the entire Georgia delegation in a letter to key leaders requesting support for this study authorization. Senator Ossoff also pushed for this provision.
- Coastal Georgia Environmental Infrastructure: This provision, led by Senator Ossoff and joined by Senator Warnock, authorizes $50 million for the Corps to provide drinking water and wastewater infrastructure assistance in Georgia’s coastal communities, providing those most impacted by climate change and sea level rise with another tool to address their water infrastructure needs. Assistance under this authority would be authorized for Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, and McIntosh counties.
- The threat of climate change is very real in Georgia, where sea levels along the coast have risen nearly 12 inches since 1950 and where rising seas and severe storms are endangering 18,000 homes, nearly 200,000 acres of land, and water infrastructure along the coast. All told, nearly $400 million in infrastructure and assets along Georgia’s coast are threatened by climate change, not to mention continued operations at the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick and their significant economic contributions to the state.
- City of Tybee Island Shoreline Feasibility Study: This provision authorizes the Corps to study the federal interest in a new beach nourishment project along Tybee Island.
- In WRDA 2022, Tybee Island’s federal sand replenishment project was extended until 2036. Following the completion of this newly authorized study, Tybee will be able to reference the full scope of the shoreline’s benefits, including all other social, environmental, and economic benefits, when the time comes to extend federal assistance.
- Beach nourishment is an expensive process that, without federal assistance, is often impractical for smaller communities. Regular replenishment provides both flood protection and recreation benefits for Georgians and tourists alike.
- New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam (NSBLD): Directs the Corps to fully repair the NSBLD to ensure it can maintain the pool at a desired level, as well as construct an off-channel rock ramp fish passage structure.
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