Watershed management commissioner says city is taking steps to prevent another water crisis

ATLANTA — The Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Al Wiggins said the city is taking two steps to try to prevent another water crisis in Atlanta.

Right now, workers are installing more than 20 leak detection devices on valves in Midtown and a few in Vine City.

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Wiggins said the devices detect leaks and use artificial intelligence to document the size of the leak. Next week, Wiggins said the program will begin collecting data that, overtime, can be used to predict and prevent water line breaks.

“We will have more water main breaks. I believe we are much more prepared than we were in the past because of the devices that we’re installing,” said Wiggins.

Wiggins said if this test program works, the city will install the detectors in other parts of the city.

“They’re so new, but I would say they would certainly be helpful in mitigating loss like we’ve had in the last couple of days,” said Jeremy Melton.

Melton and his team with HVH Plumbing documents water pressure and flow across the city. Melton has been working in the industry for 20 years.

“We still have old pipes that are deteriorating that need to be replaced,” said Melton.

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Mayor Andre Dickens called the solution to that problem the Blue Ribbon Plan.

It involves the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA forming a list of needed modifications. A panel of three people will enact the recommendations.

The panel includes former Mayor Shirley Franklin, Metro Atlanta Chamber CEO Katie Kilpatrick and Retired Major General Ron Johnson.

Franklin has a long leadership history.

Kilpatrick is an engineer by training and experienced on water issues, according to a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office. Johnson is a professor and the incoming Chief of Staff to the President at Georgia Tech. He was the Deputy Commanding General and Deputy Chief of Engineers, the second highest-ranking senior engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

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