Following June’s water outages in Atlanta, legislation introduced by Sen. Jon Ossoff aims to prevent similar problems in another metro Atlanta city.

“We’ve seen from the recent experience in the City of Atlanta what an urgent requirement it is to dutifully invest in our water infrastructure,” Ossoff said. “Clean, safe, healthy drinking water is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.”

The City of East Point’s water system currently serves 70,000 people across East Point, Hapeville and College Park. Ossoff’s legislation sets aside $20 million and authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to work with the local water services department on improvement priorities.

City officials say they have spent years mapping local water systems to pinpoint areas of greatest need.

“So we are jumping ahead of that,” said Melissa Echevarria, Water Resources Director for the City of East Point. “We have prioritized our oldest lines to be rehabilitated and repaired.”

The legislation, known as the “East Point Water Infrastructure Enhancement Act,” is included in a larger national bill on water infrastructure, which is expected to be before Congress later this year.