ATLANTA — With more heavy rain in the forecast, workers are preparing the roads for the risk of flooding.
It’s been less than a month since a storm dumped rain, flooded out part of Interstate 75 and stranding drivers. For Channel 2 Action News at 6:00 p.m., Channel 2’s Michael Doudna got an exclusive look at how the city is working to prevent a repeat.
The latest timing for today’s storms and risk for flooding, LIVE on Channel 2 Action News This Morning starting at 4:30 a.m.
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The Atlanta Department of Watershed teams have been going to storm drains, clearing them of debris to keep it running smoothly.
But this is only part of the response. And a city official says more investment is needed.
One month ago, roads became rivers as heavy rains overwhelmed the city’s stormwater system.
“Every city is challenged with these types of events as climate change takes place, as large events take place,” Greg Eyerly, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management commissioner, told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna.
So to answer the call, Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management has its own command center.
“So this is our water pressures throughout the city,” Eyerly said.
The center fills with folks watching everything from weather to water pressure, looking for telltale signs of flooding.
“We do have some sensors, and we have cameras that give us that real-time information. However, we are also dependent on people reporting to us where there’s potential flooding,” Eyerly said.
The system is a mixture of old and new, trying to use the latest technology to help find floods but often reliant on an aging infrastructure underneath our roadways.
“A lot of our stormwater systems were designed 50 to 80 years ago. Those design standards have changed,” Eyerly said.
A city official says the system needs more investment — to modernize not only the pipes but also the technology, allowing it to respond to flood conditions based on rainfall.
“And they’ll automatically react to that storm event,” Eyerly said.
In the meantime, crews hit the roads around the city, cleaning drains ahead of the next storm.
“We’re already out there. We are gonna be actively engaging the storm throughout the entire duration. So we’re going to be here with you, and we’ll be here to respond as quickly as we can,” Eyerly said.
He says it will take tens of millions of dollars to truly modernize the system.
To do that, he expects the city to push for a stormwater utility fee or tax to raise revenue.
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