Atlanta, GA
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Eyerly is taking over as the department faces scrutiny over malfunctioning meters, outdated technology, and a lack of transparency that has left customers in the dark—sometimes literally.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.
The highly anticipated NBA Draft is finally going to take place tomorrow and the Atlanta Hawks are 1 of 14 teams hoping the ping pong balls bounce their way.
This is going to be the final payoff for what was arguably the best move that any team made last offseason. Atlanta traded down from the No. 13 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and acquired the unprotected 2026 first-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans, the most favorable of the Pelicans’ and Bucks’ selections. The Pelicans finished 7th in the lottery odds, and Milwaukee is 10th. Based on the odds, the Hawks have a 40% chance of jumping into the top four.
The last time the Hawks were in the lottery, they jumped from 10th to 1st and selected Zaccharie Risacher. While that was a huge stroke of luck, it has not always worked out that way for the Hawks.
Hawks lottery history
The Hawks have been in the NBA Lottery 16 times since 1985 and in that time span, the Hawks have:
- Moved up five times (2024-moved from 10th to 1st, 2018-moved from 4th to 3rd, 2007- moved from 4th to 3rd, 2001- moved from 5th to 3rd, and 1985- moved from 7th to 5th)
- Moved down five times (2020- moved from 4th to 6th, 2019- moved from 5th to 8th, 2006- moved from 4th to 5th, 2005- moved from 1st to 2nd, and 2000- moved from 5th to 6th)
- Stayed where they were projected to six times
Their biggest move up by far came in 2024 when the moved up to No. 1 and were able to select Risacher, which has not quite panned out.
There is an element of what if to each of these scenarios, especially the years the Hawks moved down. In 2020, they moved down in a draft that contained Anthony Edwards, who is from the state of Georgia and one of the elite players that the league has right now. Atlanta ended up selecting Onyeka Okongwu, but there is a big what if about being able to pair Edwards with Trae Young.
In 2019, the Hawks were 5th in the highly anticipated 2019 lottery that featured Zion Williamson, but they fell three spots. While WIlliamson has not had quite the career most had hoped, he is still an All-NBA caliber player and would have paired nicely with Young as a tandem.
There have been some hits and misses during the 16 times that the Hawks have been in the lottery, but there have seemingly been more missed opportunities, even when they jump up in the standings. They are hoping that they get another stroke of luck tomorrow in what could be a franchise altering day for the Hawks.
Final projected odds for the Hawks:
No. 1- 9.8% chance
No. 2- 9.9% chance
No. 3- 10.1% chance
No. 4- 10.30% chance
No. 7- 19.75% chance
No. 8- 30.18% chance
No. 9- 9.19% chance
No. 10- 0.67% chance
No. 11-
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The Georgia Department of Transportation announced that a major weekend construction project, set to fully shut down two miles of I-285, has been postponed due to inclement weather. Atlantans are relieved, with many looking forward to more freedom to travel this Mothers’ Day weekend. Kim Leoffler has the story.
ATLANTA – An Atlanta flight attendant and mother of eight is among 17,000 Spirit Airlines workers struggling to find a new “destination” after the carrier suddenly shut down.
Spirit Airlines Atlanta impact
What we know:
Spirit Airlines ended all operations on Saturday, grounding its entire fleet and ending employment for its 17,000-person workforce. Flight attendants and customers were stranded across the country, often forced to pay for their own travel home after the discount carrier ceased operations.
Kamille Carter, an Atlanta-based flight attendant of five years, said she received the termination email from the CEO at 3 a.m., despite earlier assurances from union representatives that the company was stable. The company immediately cut healthcare benefits and stopped payments for sick leave and vacation time for all staff members.
Unpaid wages and benefits
What we don’t know:
It is unclear if Carter and her fellow employees will ever receive their final paychecks or if there is any legal recourse for the lost benefits. The company has not specified if any transition assistance will be provided to workers, some of whom had been with the airline since it launched in 1994.
Employee reaction in Georgia
What they’re saying:
“This is a death because you have to mourn, you have to grieve, it’s a process,” Carter said of the sudden job loss. Despite the financial strain of supporting eight children, Carter is looking toward her passion for cooking as a potential new career. She noted that while being uncomfortable is difficult, it can “push you to your destiny.”
Finding help in Atlanta
What you can do:
Community members looking to support Carter and other local workers affected by the shutdown can find more information on the FOX 5 Atlanta website. The station is collecting resources for those navigating the sudden loss of income and healthcare.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an interview conducted by FOX 5 reporter Eric Perry, who spoke directly with former flight attendant Kamille Carter in Atlanta. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.
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