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June 3
Watershed Commissioner Al Wiggins told the Atlanta City Council at its afternoon meeting that the Midtown water main break could be repaired by nightfall, but night has fallen and work continues at the site.
Rough Draft senior editor Beth McKibben was at the scene of the rupture just after 7 p.m. and said water was still coming up from the hole created by a geyser of water over the last three days.
Wiggins said additional parts had to be sourced from Gwinnett County and were currently being installed at the corner of 11th and West Peachtree streets, where the rupture started sending a 10-foot geyser of water into the air.
Wiggins said once repairs were complete, the system would have to be repressurized and a boil water advisory would remain in place.
A revised boil water advisory map was released this evening, but still includes a substantial portion of Downtown, Midtown and East Atlanta.
Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari posted the revised boil advisory map on her social media just before 6 p.m.
Residents can also check if they are affected by the boil advisory using this interactive map, which Wiggins said was in the process of being updated.
Since 1 a.m. this morning, water has been shut off on 11th Street between West Peachtree and Peachtree Streets as well as a stretch of West Peachtree between 10th to 12th Streets.
Mayor Andre Dickens appeared before the city council to discuss a “weekend like no other” and announced that he was calling in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to assist with Atlanta’s ongoing water crisis. He said the engineers would have “boots on the ground” Tuesday to identify and address the vulnerabilities of the city’s water system.
There are still reports from residents and businesses across the city that they either have no water or low water pressure.
During a press conference this morning at the site of the break at 11th and West Peachtree streets, Watershed Commissioner Al Wiggins said two major water lines intersect at the streets. It took so long to turn the water off at the site because the valve to turn the water off was directly under the geyser of water, he said.
“It was important that we took a slower approach to not cause additional damage to our infrastructure,” he said. “We are pleased with the direction that the repairs are going now.”
Since Friday night, water gushed from a water main break at 11th and West Peachtree streets. Atlanta Watershed was able to finally turn off the water early Sunday morning to see how to fix it.
“I know residents, businesses and visitors did not have the weekend they planned to have due to the water main breaks across the city,” Mayor Andre Dickens said during the press conference. “To all the citizens, we want to apologize for this weekend. We are laser focused on this problem.”
Dickens praised the workers completing the repairs who have been at work for four days, starting with the first major break in Vine City on Friday morning that plunged Atlanta into the water crisis.
Dickens said workers made an emergency run to Alabama on Sunday to get materials for the complex Midtown repair, which added to the delay.
The city is giving away water to residents in need at Fire Station 11 (165 16th St.) and Fire Station 15 (170 10th St.).
Commuters can expect detours around the area of 11th and West Peachtree as repair work continues.
The geyser of water blew out the windows at Eleventh Street Pub, which are now boarded up and covered in plastic. It’s unclear if the bar sustained any water damage as a result.
Atlanta Watershed crews installed new shut-off valves near the Midtown main break on Sunday in an apparent effort to isolate the incident.
The latest repair comes after a weekend water crisis that saw most of the city’s core lose water or experience low pressure starting Friday morning.
Around 12:45 p.m. on Monday, Atlanta Watershed said it was investigating another potential water main break near Clayton Road and Armour Drive in northeast Atlanta. The area is home to several businesses, including East Pole Coffee Shop, Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q Queosk, SweetWater Brewing Co., and ASW Distillery. An eight-inch water main was also shut off early Monday afternoon on Fairlock Lane in Fairburn Heights while crews conducted repairs. The outage affects 20 homes and one fire hydrant.
Ongoing closures and delays
The weekend without water in Atlanta caused ripple effects, including restaurants and businesses losing untold amounts of money. Tourist attractions were shuttered, major events postponed, and hospitals were diverting patients.
Atlanta Public Schools cancelled summer school classes and summer programs on Monday, while Clark Atlanta University is closed due to the boil water advisory and continuing low water pressure. Late Monday evening, APS announced classes and programs would also be canceled on Tuesday, June 4.
The disruption of water service is also impacting Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) facilities, which will remain closed to the public today. FCBOH facilities remain closed at 10 Park Place, Vital Records at 141 Pryor Street, the Center for Health and Rehabilitation (265 Boulevard), and the Neighborhood Union Health Center (186 Sunset Ave NW).
Eleventh Street Pub and Steamhouse Lounge remain closed at 11th Street and West Peachtree in Midtown.
Due to ongoing water pressure issues, Southeast Senior Center on New Town Circle on the edge of Benteen Park is also closedtoday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
