Businesses impacted can start applying for funds that would help recoup the losses through Invest Atlanta on June 24.
ATLANTA — There’s some very good news for folks who saw thousands of dollars in revenue lost just a few weeks ago when the city had several major water main breaks.
Atlanta’s City Council voted this past Monday to allocate $7.5 million to help fill in the gap for small business owners. The money is coming from the Department of Watershed Management’s budget. The mayor’s office said that funds not used by June 30, 2025, will go back to the Water & Wastewater Revenue Fund.
However, one of the businesses directly affected by the city’s water crisis was the Steam House Lounge on West Peachtree Street. Holly Webb, with the restaurant, said one of the water main breaks was directly in front of the business.
“We didn’t receive any damage, luckily, but our staff was out of work for a week, and it was actually pretty financially hard for them,” Webb said.
Webb also said they plan to apply for funding and already have a good idea of what will be done with the money.
“We’ll be using the money, some of it to take care of our staff. We have a very good staff that has always been there for us, and we will absolutely be using it to help some of them out,” Webb explained.
Stir House Atlanta on Broad Street was another business impacted by the water crisis. Co-owner Antonio Brown said he also lost about $9,000 during the crisis but is grateful the city is helping.
“I commend Mayor Andre Dickens. I commend Invest Atlanta and Councilman Westmoreland for all coming together to support small businesses like ours,” Brown said.
Applications will be accepted from June 24 through July 8. Awardees will be notified by July 29. More details can be found in this document and on the Invest Atlanta website.
For business owners like Brown, it’s a sigh of relief. As he stated, “The city didn’t have to do it, but they did it. And to me, that means the world to us.”
