Clean Water Atlanta is a comprehensive, multi-program initiative operated by the City of Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management, designed to improve water quality through major capital construction and enhanced operation of the city’s drinking and wastewater systems. The program was established to fulfill obligations under two Federal Consent Decrees and a State Consent Order, guiding billions of dollars in infrastructure investment across the city.
Since 1998, the department has invested over $2 billion in wastewater infrastructure improvements serving approximately 1.2 million Atlanta-area residents daily. Key accomplishments documented on the program’s site include separating 11 miles of combined sewers in downtown Atlanta, evaluating 1,574 miles of sewer mains citywide, repairing and rehabilitating 373 miles of sewers, and delivering 55 miles of capacity relief.
The program constructed 18 miles of sewer tunnels at Nancy Creek and the West Area Combined Sewer Overflow facility, specifically designed to manage excess flow during major rain events. These efforts met the first Federal Consent Decree deadline in 2008.
Active project categories include the Niles Avenue Sewer Improvements, Atlanta Memorial Park wet weather overflow elimination, Sewer Capacity Relief projects addressing systems 36 inches in diameter and larger, Combined Sewer Overflow projects, Sewer System Evaluation Surveys, Sewer Annual Contracts for emergency repairs, and Small Diameter Rehabilitation for 8 to 24 inch sewers using cured-in-place pipe lining, pipe bursting, and related methods.
The department provides an interactive ArcGIS map tool giving the public access to current and future consent decree project locations across Atlanta. Commissioner Greg Eyerly leads the department’s compliance and sustainability efforts. Atlanta residents and stakeholders can reach the department at 404-546-0311.