This article was originally published Jan. 30, 2003
Atlanta officials hope to quickly push through City Council plans for the city to retake control of its water system.
The big switch from four years of private operation will require several pieces of legislation and, likely, numerous council sessions. Plans are to have all deliberations wrapped up by next month.
Council President Cathy Woolard, while admitting the takeover is a risk, proclaimed it the right move for Atlanta. She said she expected council approval based on council complaints about the water department when it was run by United Water Services Unlimited Atlanta.
City residents, Woolard said, should have confidence the Franklin administration can pull off the change without major problems.
“They’ve done as good a job on the plan moving forward as anything I’ve seen in my six years at City Hall,” Woolard said.
Legislation will be needed to create the water department and the 346 positions sought by Mayor Shirley Franklin. There’s also last week’s proposed settlement of legal issues between United Water and the city. The settlement doesn’t become official until council approval.
“The new department is 346 positions,” said Greg Giornelli, chief policy officer for Mayor Shirley Franklin. “You don’t get that done overnight. We’ve got to get started on that immediately.”
The city of Atlanta and United Water agreed to part ways Friday. The deal kept the city from terminating the contract. City officials expect to have full control of the water system by mid-June.
Giornelli, City Attorney Linda DiSantis, Watershed Management Commissioner Jack Ravan and others have been meeting this week to flesh out a transition plan.
City officials still have to work out issues, such as how much to pay United Water and the schedule for turning over duties to the new city department. City officials also have to hire consultants and others to help Atlanta through the transition.
The settlement headed to council nets Atlanta $5 million and resolves both sides’ claims. City officials had claimed United Water owed the city more than $23 million for fees it had failed to collect. And United Water had wanted to be paid at least $40 million for work it had done beyond the scope of the contract.
In June of last year, after six months as mayor, Franklin cited United Water for failure to live up to its contract with the city.
ATLANTA’S WATER SYSTEM AT A GLANCE
The city water department will maintain:
> 2,500 miles of water mains
> 149,000 water meters
> 25,000 fire hydrants
> Service to more than 1.5 million people over a 650-square-mile area.
WATER SYSTEM FACTS
> First pipes installed by the Atlanta Canal and Water Works in 1875.
> On average, Atlantans consume 125.54 million gallons per day
> Sole source of raw water is the Chattahoochee River.
Source: Department of Watershed Management
COMPARING RATES
System: 1992 rate, 2002 rate
Washington: $15.06, $26.79
Atlanta: $22.88, $26.25
Louisville: $17.22, $23.31
Cincinnati: $16.37, $21.04
Dallas: $15.05, $20.14
Miami: $13.43, $18.29
Charlotte: $13.65, $17.30
Memphis: $9.87, $13.50
National average: $18.51, $25.05
*Figures for customers who use 1,500 cubic feet, or 11,220 gallons, of water a month. Numbers are approximate. Figures do not include sewage rate.
Source: Raftelis Financial Consulting, American Water Works Association
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