Atlanta water main break: Emory University Hospital in Midtown moves some patients, diverts ambulances

CNN
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A massive water main break that left parts of downtown Atlanta without water and boil water notices prompted Emory University Hospital in Midtown to transfer patients to other hospitals Saturday .

The significant disruption Water service in Georgia’s capital began Friday after breaks on a 48- and 36-inch transmission line “that carries large volumes of water to the metropolitan area,” according to the Georgia Department of Watershed Management. Atlanta.

Crews repaired water main breaks that occurred Friday in Downtown and Midtown, but the repair schedule was delayed due to “a few setbacks,” Mayor Andre Dickens said at a conference. press Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, dialysis patients at Emory University Hospital in Midtown have been transferred to other Emory hospitals for treatment, a hospital spokesperson told CNN in a statement Saturday.

Midtown Hospital’s emergency department diverted ambulances except for people with urgent heart problems, the release said.

“People who come to the emergency department without an appointment or by car are still accepted and treated as normal,” the statement said.

The hospital said it transported about 58,000 gallons of water in six tanker trucks for use in chillers and cooling towers. The water was provided by the fire department and delivered by a tanker company.

“Bottled water is distributed to patients throughout the hospital for their drinking and personal care needs,” the release said.

Urgent surgical procedures were not affected, but most outpatient appointments, particularly in oncology and radiology, were postponed or moved.

Dickens apologized for the city’s response to the water main break that began causing concern Friday morning.

These issues have led to the closure of tourist attractions and the rescheduling of events, including Megan Thee Stallion concerts on Friday and Saturday. The incident also left many people without water or with inadequate water pressure.

The Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola, two of downtown’s biggest attractions, remained closed Saturday.

Dickens could not say Saturday afternoon when the repairs will be completed.

The boil water advisory remained in effect Saturday afternoon, Atlanta Watershed said in an X story, which includes an updated map of affected areas.

Authorities say a rotting pipe that collapsed due to water pressure is the main cause of the downtown rupture.

“We were able to repair the leaking fitting,” Department of Public Works Commissioner Al Wiggins Jr. said at a news conference Saturday.

“We spent a lot of time getting the pressure out of the system so we could make the necessary repairs,” he said.

Crews are slowly pressurizing the water flow to ensure no additional damage is caused to the water system.

Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta also reported low water pressure Saturday, Grady administrators said in a statement.

“However, we remain fully operational and our emergency department is accepting all patients,” the statement said, adding that elective procedures have been canceled “to ensure patient safety.”

Water issues have already impacted Atlanta. In June 2020, a water main break on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus led to outages and a boil water advisory in the city.

Emory University Hospital in Midtown was using bottled water at the time. Patient care was not affected.

Atlanta’s woes are part of a larger problem of aging infrastructure across the United States. Here and in Canada, about 260,000 water main breaks cost $2.6 billion each year, according to a December 2023 study by Utah State University.

The study noted that the average age of failed water pipes is about 53 years, and 33 percent of water pipes in the United States and Canada are over 50 years old.

CNN’s Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.