Liquid assets: Greg Eyerly
Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Greg Eyerly is transforming Atlanta’s water utility into a forward-looking operation built on innovation, workforce development and a commitment to long-term water resilience.
When interviewing for the role of Commissioner at the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management (DWM) last year, Greg Eyerly asked Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens what his vision was for the department.
Mayor Dickens responded, saying it was fantastic that the city had all these upcoming world-class events that the department supported drinking water and wastewater treatment for, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Super Bowl, as well as the world’s busiest airport.
"You would think defining success is supporting them so that everything goes off without a hitch; after all, the last thing you want to do is cancel a Beyoncé concert," Eyerly tells The CEO Magazine.
But what the mayor said next stuck with him.
"He said all of that was great for Atlanta, but what he really wanted was long-term water security for the people who live there every day and depend on the city for their home or work," he continues.
Eyerly remembers thinking that he could get on board with that.
"Of course, as a utility, we want to be part of the headline successes of pulling up these world-class events, but the day-to-day is how we truly define success," he says.
Clean Water Atlanta
Nearly 1.3 million people rely on the DWM daily for drinking water and wastewater services, making it one of the country’s larger municipal water and wastewater facilities.
The last three decades have seen significant investment in its infrastructure, particularly on the wastewater front under Clean Water Atlanta, a program started under two federal government-mandated consent decrees to modernize the city’s sewage system.
Over US$2 billion has been spent improving the city’s wastewater infrastructure, including replacing and upgrading sewer pipes, constructing underground storage tunnels, upgrading wastewater treatment plants and improving water quality in sources like the Chattahoochee River. The return on investment is tangible.
"The number of wastewater spills in Atlanta, and the volume, has gone down dramatically in the past 25 years," Eyerly says.
"The day-to-day is how we truly define success."
So much so that he’s wasted no time telling the United States Environmental Protection Agency that it’s time to lift the consent decree.
"We’re making the case that we’ve changed our behavior and that we’re a responsible utility now," he says.
Eyerly says it’s time the agency was able to make its decisions locally.
"Making that shift for the city will be critical," he says.
He’s committed to completing the projects in the pipeline, but hopes to then reallocate budget toward other needs across its network.
The place to be
On the operational front, Eyerly says it took him less than a week in office to notice that the DWM was becoming over-reliant on the outside engineering firms engaged to support its consent decrees.
As he looks to rebuild the engineering side of what it does, in both capability and internal oversight, he’s creating new roles, such as an assistant commissioner, and building new partnerships with local colleges to fill internship placements with the city’s students.
"I want people to see us as the place to come and work," he says.
Eyerly knows to become the employer of choice, people need to know that the agency is innovative and thinking ahead. Along with rolling out digital twin technology, he is harnessing AI to optimize sewer inspections.
"It’s a great example of where a person has to spend 15 minutes watching footage of a sewer to assess the condition of it, whereas AI can do it in under 10 seconds," he says.
The DWM is also in the final stages of piloting advanced metering infrastructure to communicate with its customers.
Not only does he want Atlanta to be the employer of choice, he also wants it to be the city of choice for the private sector to do business with. Relationships with the likes of Ruby Collins will be critical as the agency looks to take back control of its budget and project pipeline.
The true value of water
The other shift that Eyerly is preparing for is rate hikes, and he’s being careful to prepare his key stakeholders in advance.
"I’m trying to get the notion across to both our elected officials and the public that rate increases are something that, at the very least, have to keep up with cost-of-living adjustments or increasing construction costs," he says.
He points out that Atlanta hasn’t had a rate increase in the past 15 years, unlike its sister utility DeKalb County, which has implemented a 10 percent rate increase over 10 years. It’s a model that Eyerly is closely looking at.
"It’s a lifestyle change, rather than dieting for a couple of months," he explains.
"This notion that you go through a rate increase and then you stop is how you end up with rate instability. I want to introduce something that is stable, predictable and affordable."
"I want people to see us as the place to come and work."
He appreciates that the word ‘affordable’ means different things to different people and is committed to helping those who really need it. But he also knows that, for a lot of other people, water is seen as a choice, alongside what car they drive, what cell phone they buy and how many holidays they take.
"It’s not really a choice though, is it? We don’t have a choice about whether or not we’re going to drink water," he says.
As such, Eyerly sees it as his job to educate the public about the true value of water.
"We don’t value water to the extent that we should. There are still people who think that water should be free and complain that their water bill is too high while their iPhone monthly plan costs much more."
He’s using every opportunity to get his message across.
"We need to educate people about how we treat water, the conditions of our current assets and the pathway to ensure that we have long-term water security," he concludes.