ATLANTA — Early Saturday, there was another water main break in Midtown.
It turned out to be a broken valve near Mary Mac's Tea Room, according to Atlanta Watershed.
It's the sixth, potential break this week.
It's one of a plethora this Summer, all leading up to a meeting with the Atlanta City Council on Tuesday about prevention and repairs.
Tahmarick Temple said he's lived in Atlanta for 22 years, his entire life. He's seen the water main breaks get worse over the years.
"It was a big water break right there. And it forced our job to shut down," Temple said. "We weren't able to make (any) money for two days."
Temple said the aging water infrastructure needs to be addressed expeditiously.
"These systems are old and vintage," Temple said. "They've been having these same systems since the 60s. It's 2024. It's time to update it. So, if they (were) to update it and put the money where it should be at, we wouldn't have those problems because these water breaks can cause a catastrophe."
First, there was the catastrophe in late May on Joseph E. Boone that shut down State Farm Arena, the Georgia Aquarium, and more. Then, break after break, with 11th and Peachtree shutting down streets and businesses for days.
Jeremiah Terrence is part-owner of Triple Jays New York Style Pizza. He said, luckily, they've escaped the fallout of the breaks, but he's heard countless stories of his neighbors losing tens of thousands of dollars in business.
"That would be tremendous," Terrence said. "I don't know how we would bounce back from that."
Some businesses still haven't bounced back. However, before what seems like the inevitable next break happens, Terremce is hoping Atlanta City Officials will be proactive.
"Get ahead of it--where they would come out and just kind of replace things before they become a problem," Terrence said.
Temple hopes a solution comes out of Tuesday's meeting rather than another reason to wait.
"You waiting to see how far it can go is what got us into this predicament we're in now," Temple continued. "That's what I want to hear Tuesday. That they say they're going to fix this problem, now."
The meeting is July 9 at 11:30 a.m. in the Marvin S. Arrington, Sr. Council Chamber on Trinity Avenue.
Monday is also the deadline for eligible small businesses impacted by the May 31st water main break to receive help from the city's recovery fund.