Major improvements to DeKalb's water and sewer system are far behind schedule, and the consequences are being felt across the county.

Proposed businesses and apartments projects are being warned of potential sewer capacity limitations. Sewer spills continue to pollute rivers. And residents have been paying for the improvements through their water bills, which increased 59 percent to pay for the upgrades.

The $1.35 billion infrastructure effort was originally planned in 2010 to to be finished in five years, but now it won't be done till 2022.

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Passengers wait at a Delta check-in counter at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. It was the first day the Federal Aviation Administration cut flight capacity at airports during the government shutdown. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com