Atlanta, GA

Atlanta’s new watershed commissioner vows to tackle sky-high water bills with modern solutions

Published

8 months ago

July 8, 2025

Atlanta’s new watershed commissioner vows to tackle sky-high water bills with modern solutions

Why are some water bills so high?

For 3 years, FOX 5 has followed the stories of high water bills, seemingly with no explanation. Customers take it to the water appeals board often to only to be denied any sort of adjustment. We have followed some of these customers all the way to court, where judges have ruled in their favor. FOX 5 sat down with the new Watershed commissioner who tells us there are problems, with fixes on the way.

ATLANTA – For years, Atlanta residents have struggled with sky-high water bills that seemed to defy logic—and often, even evidence. Many took their complaints to the city’s Water and Sewer Appeals Board, only to be denied adjustments. But now, a new commissioner at the helm of the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management is pledging to fix a system that critics say has long failed its customers.

“We got to move from being where we are, both with the reliability [and] the accuracy. 99.9% is not good enough,” said Commissioner Greg Eyerly, who stepped into the role just three months ago. “We got to be like the airlines… 99.999999% accurate.”

Eyerly is taking over as the department faces scrutiny over malfunctioning meters, outdated technology, and a lack of transparency that has left customers in the dark—sometimes literally.

$12K water bill for retiree

What we know:

One of those customers is Jeffrey Williams, a retiree who says his water bill jumped from $153 a month to over $12,000 during a four-month stretch in 2022. “It started off with what I thought was a simple situation of our meter not accurately reporting our water usage,” he said.

Williams hired a plumber who confirmed a faulty meter, but the city’s appeals board still denied his request for an adjustment.

“I move that there is no adjustment,” a board member said during Williams’ hearing.

$81K water bill for unused property

What they’re saying:

The same outcome befell Gail Mapp, who contested $81,000 in bills for an unused property on Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway. Her water bills had been $13.12 a month until a city register replacement. Neither her own plumbers nor city inspectors found leaks. Still, the board rejected her appeal.

Both Williams and Mapp sued the city. Both won.

“And I think that’s where, you know, this rub is,” said Mapp. “Why is the board denying some of these claims when there really is no evidence of a leak or anything else?”

Atlanta’s Water and Sewer Appeals Board

The other side:

The Water and Sewer Appeals Board is an independent body appointed by the Atlanta City Council. But the utility’s challenges extend beyond governance.

“We have meters now that have broken and we have to go out and fix them,” said Eyerly. “That’s why we end up with estimated reads—because the meter is broken.”

Eyerly said about 174,000 accounts are currently on the system, and even a small percentage of faulty meters can have a large impact.

He believes modernizing the city’s 15-year-old metering system is the key to reducing these billing issues. “That technology was the best available at the time… it’s past time [to change it]. So that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Atlanta Watershed upgrades

What’s next:

The department is now beginning a six-year rollout of upgraded smart meters that will give customers real-time access to their water usage.

“It’s not a black box anymore,” Eyerly said. “You know exactly what your readings are—all the time.”

Atlanta Watershed field inspections

What you can do:

In the meantime, the department is encouraging customers who suspect an issue to request field inspections. Eyerly said the department is also ramping up maintenance efforts and proactively replacing registers.

“We want to reduce the number of people that have these disputes,” Eyerly said. “We want to put common sense back into this.”

Mayor Dickens $2B infrastructure investment

Dig deeper:

Earlier this year, Mayor Andre Dickens announced a $2 billion, 20-year investment to overhaul Atlanta’s aging water infrastructure. For frustrated customers, relief may finally be in sight—but it could still be years away.

The Source: FOX 5 spoke with Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Greg Eyerly for this article. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reports were also used.

AtlantaNewsAtlanta City CouncilAndre Dickens

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Atlanta, GA

Blazers Outclassed in Every Aspect By Atlanta

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Blazers Outclassed in Every Aspect By Atlanta

The Portland Trail Blazers put up an absolute stinker on Sunday, getting destroyed by the .500 Atlanta Hawks, 135-101. It was a soul-destroying loss. Jrue Holiday and Donovan Clingan have at least some reason to hold their heads high, with Holiday putting up 23 points on 56.3% shooting and Clingan getting a 15 point/15 rebound double-double. Otherwise you have to squint pretty hard to take away anything positive for the Blazers.

Here are a few observations from the game:

First Quarter Disaster Class

Not a whole lot went right for the Blazers in the first quarter other than Jrue Holiday’s 14 points in the frame. No other Blazer could manage more than three points. At the other end of the court, the Hawks were getting to the free throw line with ease, taking 15 freebies against only two for the Blazers. Atlanta found it easy to get wide-open shots too. Simple penetrate-and-kick was the order of the day, and it was shockingly successful. Five turnovers for Portland didn’t help either. With everything going wrong, the refs added to the misery, ignoring some laughably physical play for a steal at one end, while whistling Vit Krejci for a block on a clear charge on the other. Poor whistles led to frustration, with Clingan losing the plot a bit and picking up his third foul in the quarter out of frustration. Finishing down 19 at the end of the first quarter is no way to win a basketball game, yet somehow it could have been worse. With a bit over a minute to go, the Blazers had been down 24. Credit for not giving up I guess, but… yeesh.

Okongwu was terrific. At one point in the 2nd quarter, he had 20 points on 77.8% shooting from the field and 75% shooting from deep. Not bad for a 6’10” center. He was always open in the corner. Every time down the court. If Atlanta had wanted to make feeding him a priority, Okongwu might have finished with 60. Instead, they ignored the obvious and gave every Hawk who took the court plenty of touches and shots. It’s hard to argue with a 34-point win, but it really should have been a 40-point lead at halftime if the Hawks had pressed their advantage.

Henderson’s Three-Point Shot

It’s still early days for Henderson’s 25-26 season, but he’s shown good things coming back from injury. His strength and first step are encouraging. His three-point shooting, however, has been a real problem. For a team that was already at or around the worst three-point percentage in the NBA before Henderson took the court, the last thing they needed was him to come in and shoot 24% for the season. In this game he attempted 4 of them, making one. Two of his misses were so ugly that Atlanta fans were embarrassed for him. Without a functional shot from range, he’s just not showing enough to win the starting job.

Three Quarters of Garbage Time

One way to look at this game is to give the Blazers credit for keeping it pretty even for most of the game after the soul-crushing first quarter. You could also give Portland credit for finding their way to the arena today. This game was decided early and nothing the Blazers did the rest of the way gave anybody a sense that they could mount a comeback. That’s pretty discouraging.

Nice Shooting Percentage From Krejci, But…

75% shooting from the field and 66% from three for Krejci? Yes, please! Three total shots from deep and five overall in a game when they needed points? No, no, no. Krejci seemed like a brilliant pickup for the Blazers, what with him shooting over 40% from three the last three season in Atlanta. He just hasn’t had the kind of impact we all imagined so far. It’s still early in his Blazer career, but the 31.7% that Krejci is shooting from beyond the arc for the Blazers isn’t what anyone had in mind. Today he made his first three shots, with two of them from deep. Would this be the game that could get him on track? Unfortunately he’d only take one more three-pointer the rest of the game. It’s incredible that they wouldn’t at least try to lean into him a bit more when he looked like he might be poised to break out of his Blazers’ shooting slump.

The Blazers will get two days off before taking on the apparently lottery-bound Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. A Portland win would probably suit both clubs just fine.

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Atlanta, GA

Drama mars finish of half-marathon national championships in Atlanta

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Drama mars finish of half-marathon national championships in Atlanta

The 2026 Publix Atlanta Marathon, which served as the USA Track & Field Half Marathon Championships, met chaos Sunday in the women’s half marathon event.

Three runners — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat — were led off course by an official race vehicle with less than 2 miles to go. The nearly-half-mile error, according to data from Hurley’s Strava account, cost the runners their top-three finishes.

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Atlanta, GA

Police increase presence across metro Atlanta amid teen takeover rumors

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Police increase presence across metro Atlanta amid teen takeover rumors

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Popular gathering spots across metro Atlanta saw heightened law enforcement presence Saturday night following rumors of potential “teen takeovers.”

Authorities say a similar event last weekend led to more than a dozen teenagers and adults being taken into custody. In response, agencies across the metro area are stepping up patrols in several high-traffic areas, including the Beltline and the Cumberland Mall and Battery districts.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 9 juveniles, 8 adults charged after weekend ‘takeover’ event at The Battery

Along the Atlanta Beltline, Atlanta police confirmed they increased staffing levels as a precaution. An APD officer on scene told Atlanta News First that officers are maintaining an enhanced presence due to the takeover rumors. An Atlanta News First crew observed multiple people put in handcuffs and an APD officer at the Beltline said four guns had been confiscated.

Multiple patrol units were visible along the Beltline, with officers monitoring foot traffic and briefly detaining several individuals. Police said the show of force is intended to deter large, disruptive gatherings before they begin.

Cumberland Mall to have teen curfew Saturday after ‘takeover’ at The Battery

In Cobb County, law enforcement agencies are coordinating efforts around Cumberland Mall and The Battery Atlanta. The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office deployed its mounted patrol unit, with four deputies on horseback circling the mall. Units from the Cobb County Police Department, Marietta Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol were also seen monitoring traffic and pedestrian activity in the area.

Electronic message boards and posted signage between Cumberland and The Battery warned visitors of the increased law enforcement presence. Officers said the goal is to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s arrests and ensure public safety.

For now, officials say the evening remains calm, but they are prepared to respond quickly if large crowds begin to form.

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