Atlanta residents told to boil water during city shutdowns

A water main break in Atlanta on Friday led to an interruption of service and a boil water advisory for much of the metro area.

The city’s Department of Watershed Management (DWM) said crews began repairing the break at the intersection of Boone Boulevard and JP Brawley Drive in northwest Atlanta at 5 p.m. EST. Officials warned that homes could experience low water pressure and water service could be suspended in some areas while the break, which occurred on a 48- and 36-inch transmission line that “carries large volumes water to the metropolitan area”, is repaired. .

A boil water advisory was issued as crews worked on the main breach “out of an abundance of caution and in compliance” with the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD), the DWM said in a statement. All residents were also asked to limit their water use to “critical uses only to allow system pressures to recover.”

“To protect the public from a potential health risk, all residents and homeowners who have experienced water outages and/or low water pressure are advised to boil all water before drinking. use or use bottled water for drinking, cooking, preparing baby food or brushing their teeth,” the DWM said.

“Water should be boiled for one minute after boiling,” the warning continues. “Infants, the elderly and immunocompromised people should be careful. Do not drink water from public fountains in the affected area.”

Washing your hands “vigorously” or showering with tap water should be “safe for basic personal hygiene,” officials added. However, if using water to wash their hands before preparing food, the DWM said residents should boil tap water first.

Several offices and businesses closed Friday in response to the pause, including Atlanta City Hall, the College Football Hall of Fame and Fulton County government offices, according to a WAGA report. Grady Memorial Hospital also suspended all elective and non-emergency procedures and appointments on Friday.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta closed operations Friday morning. Zoo officials said in a statement that they “have contingency plans in place to ensure animals have access to water” during service interruptions.

The boil water advisory will remain in effect until DWM officials are “permitted to lift it in accordance with sampling protocols,” the department said in its statement. The state EPD will also notify Atlanta watershed management officials when the advisory can be lifted.

News week contacted DWM by email for additional information Friday evening.

A separate six-inch water main near the Bobby Jones Golf Course in north Atlanta was also temporarily shut off around 7 p.m. EST Friday while the DWM made “emergency repairs,” according to an update. department update on X, formerly Twitter. The outage affected 40 residences and three fire hydrants. This water main was restarted at approximately 8:21 p.m. EST.