Atlanta Customers Owe $236 Million In Unpaid Water Bills, Audit Finds

(ATLANTA, Geor.) -- Atlanta customers owed the city $236 million in unpaid water and sewer bills as of April, according to an August audit from the Atlanta City Auditor's Office.

The audit follows a previous review that was presented in December 2023. The office found more than 54,000 delinquent accounts totaling about $198 million at that time.

The number of delinquent accounts has now climbed to 60,168, and the amount customers owe is up 19% from the previous audit. Nearly a quarter of the city's active water and sewer accounts were delinquent as of April.

Several familiar names are on the list, including Chick-fil-A, Ponce City Market, Georgia State University and Atlanta Public Schools, according to the audit.

The city has written off nearly $62 million in water and sewer debt since the 2023 audit. The auditor's office wrote in its report that Watershed Management needs to do more to collect debt that can still be recovered.

Watershed Management considers a bill that's at least 90 days overdue to be 95% unrecoverable. As of March, nearly $200 million of the city's delinquent debt was at least 90 days old.

Water shutoffs have also gone up. From July 2023 through March 2026, the department shut off water for 5,363 customers due to nonpayment. That included 5,188 residential accounts and 175 businesses.

The auditor's office didn't issue new recommendations in the latest report. Instead, it wants Watershed Management to finish the recommendations from the 2023 audit and devise a plan for collecting debt that the city still has a shot at recovering.

The follow-up audit was presented to Atlanta City Council's City Utilities Committee on September 15.

Click here to read the full audit report.

To add to or correct information in this report, please contact me at mia.s@lead4earth.org.