Thousands of Atlanta residents and businesses still without water, two potential water breaks under investigation

Water gushes from a water main break at the intersection of Peachtree and 11th Street in Midtown Atlanta on Saturday, June 1, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Updated at 2:29 p.m. on 06/02/24

On Sunday, two potential water breaks were being investigated after nearly two days of multiple water main breaks plaguing various parts of the metro Atlanta area.

The Atlanta Watershed Department reported on X that a potential water main break is being investigated near 1190 Atlantic Dr. NW., which they say may result in a temporary disruption of water service for residences and businesses.

Shortly after the post, it was announced that another potential break was being investigated near the intersection of Euclid Ave. NE & North Ave. NE.

Boil water advisories are still in place out of an abundance of caution as on Sunday morning. According to the department, repairs are still in development to a broken water main at the intersection of W. Peachtree St. & 11th St., which broke on Saturday.

“There have been no water service disruptions, and we are committed to continuing our efforts to prevent such disruptions for residents in the area,” said a press release from the department.

Shortly before the main break on Peachtree, city officials announced that repairs to an 80-year-old water main that corroded and broke in Vine City had been completed.

Despite this, they said they don’t know how many people are affected or how long it will take to restore water.

City of Atlanta Watershed Commissioner Al Wiggins, Jr., said at a press conference Saturday afternoon that the water main that burst at the intersection of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Drive was around 80 years old and had corroded.

The 48-inch and 36-inch transmission lines carry high water levels throughout the city, and there is no timeline for when water will be restored.

At the time of the press conference, the City of Atlanta’s Watershed outage map showed five places with potential or confirmed outages, including West Peachtree Street NW and 11th Street NE. Water gushed upward from a large hole in the street at the intersection and rushed downhill into the storm drains.

A large number of Atlanta residents were placed under a boil water advisory Friday, and some areas lacked water altogether. These included neighborhoods just above and below I-20, the heart of Downtown, as far west as Collier Heights and as far east as East Lake.

Affected residents posted on social media that the first text alert they received about the boil water advisory came on Saturday, although water needed to be boiled from Friday onward.

On Twitter, the city shared that residents can pick up bottled water from four fire stations in Atlanta: Station 1 at 71 Elliot Street, Station 2 at 1568 Jonesboro Road, Station 10 at 447 Boulevard and Station 16 at Joseph E Boone Boulevard.

Water bottles were made available for residents affected by the water main breaks at local fire departments like the one in Atlanta’s Grant Park neighborhood. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Mayor Andre Dickens said residents can expect updates every two hours from Saturday afternoon onward.

The Georgia State Capitol and Atlanta City Hall were closed to the public shortly after the water break announcement, with employees dismissed shortly thereafter.

In addition, all of Fulton County’s government facilities, including the Fulton County Government Center, courthouse and the central public library all shut down for the rest of Friday.

The worksite is taped off where workers repair an 80-year-old water line that had broken on the Joseph E. Boone Blvd NW in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood on Saturday, June 1, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

Downtown tourist attractions, such as The World of Coca-Cola, Georgia Aquarium and The National Center of Civil and Human Rights, also announced early closures due to the break on their respective websites.

A Megan Thee Stallion, to be held at State Farm Arena, was rescheduled from Friday night to Sunday

“Unfortunately, we will need to reschedule tonight’s show at State Farm Arena due to the massive water main break that The City of Atlanta is experiencing ,” said the rap artist on X.

“I’m extremely disappointed because I had a huge surprise for the Hotties tonight, but we will follow the Mayor’s protocol.”

K-pop boy band P1Harmony’s Friday night concert at The Fox Theatre was also canceled due to the outage.

Kenny Murry contributed to this report.