The Atlanta City Council recently took a moment to shine a spotlight on the Department of Watershed Management (DWM), honoring the team for bringing home top awards from the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP).
Among the recognitions: the Water Distribution System of Excellence Award and major honors for two of the city’s water treatment plants. The Hemphill Water Treatment Plant earned a Platinum Award and the Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant received a Gold Award—both for maintaining zero violations in 2024 when it comes to water quality standards.
DWM Commissioner Greg Eyerly explained just how big a deal this is. The Hemphill plant is more than a century old, and still, his team has run 1.1 million water quality tests over six years without a single miss.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Eyerly said, pointing to the system repairs and customer service improvements the department continues to tackle. “But while you’re sleeping, Watershed is working. When it’s 105 degrees outside, Watershed is working. When there’s a Super Bowl happening, Watershed is working.”
With 1,544 employees keeping water flowing for 1.2 million people—and for everything from the world’s busiest airport to the city’s most famous companies—Eyerly summed it up this way:
“There is no Coca-Cola without Atlanta water.”
For more on DWM and its work, visit atlantawatershed.org or follow @AtlantaWatershed on social media.
