ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – The City of East Point could be getting a major boost from federal partners to address old pipes and frequent water main breaks.
It’s part of an effort to ensure tens of thousands of Georgians have safe and reliable running water.
The City of East Point says it supplies water to about 70,000 residents, which includes those in College Park and Hapeville.
“If people don’t have clean drinking water then the health of our community is at risk,” said East Point Mayor Deana Holiday Ingraham.
She says on the city’s list of priorities is tackling its aging water infrastructure, more than half of which is 60 to 70 years old.
The rush for communities to upgrade their water systems has been heightened by the recent water outages in Atlanta.
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A few weeks ago water main breaks in Atlanta, about 10 miles north of East Point, brought businesses and simple everyday functions to a halt.
“What we are seeing now is the aging infrastructure that cities across this country are experiencing and dealing with,” Ingraham said.
The City of East Point says right now they’re averaging about one to two water main breaks a week.
But those breaks should become less frequent as time goes on.
“This year alone, with the municipal option sales tax, we were able to do five million dollars in infrastructure upgrades, and that is where we target the most frequent repeaters, that I like to call them,” said East Point Water Resources Director Melissa Echevarria.
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The city is also hoping to get some help from the federal level.
On Monday, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff was in East Point announcing legislation he’s introducing that would strengthen water infrastructure projects in East Point with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Ossoff said he’s rolling out similar bills for other communities within the Peach State.
“Water infrastructure is in dire need of upgrades, improvements and enhancements across the state of Georgia,” Ossoff said Monday.
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