Atlanta has been a national poster child for sprawl, the too-big-for-its-britches Sunbelt region trapped in traffic. Now it's reached a new low-water mark, so to speak.

In the May edition of Popular Mechanics, Atlanta's water system makes a list of the "10 pieces of U.S. infrastructure we must fix now."

Noting we're in the midst of a drought, the magazine's Web site says Atlanta's plumbing is leaking as much as 18 percent of the city's water.

It's not that bad: The percentage is based on 2003 regional data and includes water to flush pipes and test fire hydrants. The city now estimates unaccounted-for water at 14 percent, about average in the business.

Still, the point is made. Crews recently have worked on pipes downtown and in Buckhead dating from 1897 and 1917.

But the fix is well under way, as evidenced by the city's torn-up streets. Higher water rates and a penny sales tax are paying for a $1 billion water system overhaul during the next decade.

"It is a challenge to get our arms around the problems inherent in a system as large and as old as Atlanta's, but it is one we are determined to meet," said Janet Ward, spokeswoman for the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.

> ON THE WEB: To view the full article, go to: www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4257814.html?series=53.