ATLANTA — Atlanta is heading into day five of what seems like a never-ending water crisis after mains broke on Friday, leaving thousands across the city under a boil water advisory. Crews are still working to help get water services back up and running.
For a full detailed map of neighborhoods and streets affected, click here. Over the weekend, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens declared the City under a state of emergency.
The City of Atlanta Watershed Management announced Monday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be here Tuesday to assist with the crisis.
"They will help us develop a plan to assess and evaluate our aging infrastructure," Dickens said.
Dickens promised updates every two hours regarding the progress of repairs until all water mains were completely fixed on Saturday. 11Alive is tracking those updates below and building closures around the city.
In addition, the city is encouraging folks to receive emergency alerts and updates via NotifyATL. To sign up, text "NotifyATL" to 888777 or visit atlantaga.gov/notifyatl
Helpful resources
Latest water main break updates
Tuesday, June 4
11:43 p.m. | 11Alive's Angelina Salcedo describes how DeKalb County is prioritizing improving its water system as work continues in Atlanta after the water crisis.
10:00 p.m. | Atlanta Public Schools said that summer schools and programs will remain closed on Wednesday at Midtown High School, Howard Middle School, Mary Lin Elementary School, Hope-Hill Elementary School, Whitefoord Inc. and Coan Middle School.
8:46 p.m. | The City of Atlanta released an update about the water system issues. Repairs remain ongoing at West Peachtree St. and 11th St. A 30-inch pipe was successfully lowered into the hold and completed steps to restore water service. It turned on smaller valves on 11th St as well. Water is on at the Marriott Residence Inn and Eleventh Street Pub.
The estimated timeline for the water system to return to normal is between 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Wednesday. The boil advisory is still in effect.
The water main break repair is also complete at Joseph E. Boone Blvd and J.P. Brawley Dr.
7:01 p.m. | Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari took to social media to give an update about the water situation. She said the main at 11th St. is actively being replaced. Once that is complete, the system will need to be pressurized before the water can be tested for safety.
For an accurate reading, the water from the newly pressurized line must be incubated for 18 hours. After this period, the city will share its test results with the state's Environmental Protection Division, which will then determine if the boil water advisory can be lifted.
2:30 p.m. | Crews are investigating a potential water main break at Martin Luther King Dr & Bakers Ferry Rd SW. Officials said there could be a temporary disruption of water service for residents and businesses in the area.
2:12 p.m. | Crews are responding to an emergency water repair at Clayton Rd NE and Armour Dr NE. Water service has temporarily been disrupted for one hydrant in the area.
1 p.m. | The City of Atlanta’s Department of Transportation (ATL DOT) sent a reminder about a road closure on a portion of West Peachtree Street NE as the Department of Watershed Management (DWM) crews complete a water main repair at the corner of 11th Street NE and West Peachtree Street NE.
Officials said West Peachtree Street NE is still closed from north of 10th Street NE to 12th Street NE.
ATL DOT wants to remind drivers and pedestrians that this portion of the road will remain closed until the repair is complete. Officials advise bikers and pedestrians to stay clear of the construction area between 10th Street NE and 12th Street NE.
The following detours remain in place:
Traveling North on West Peachtree St NW
- Turn right on 10th St NE
- Turn left on Peachtree St NE
- Turn left on 14th St NE T
- Turn right on West Peachtree St NW
Traveling East on 10th St, attempting to turn left onto West Peachtree St NW
- Bypass West Peachtree St NW
- Turn left on Peachtree St NE
- Turn left on 14th St NE
- Turn right on West Peachtree St NW
Traveling West on 10th St, attempting to turn right onto West Peachtree St NW
- Turn right on Peachtree St NE
- Turn left on 14th St NE
- Turn right on West Peachtree St NW
12:22 p.m. | Atlanta city officials said the broken water main at 11th Street and West Peachtree has been replaced. It was nearly 100 years old!
Department of Watershed Commissioner Al Wiggins said the pipe connected to the fire hydrant-- directly adjacent to the Eleventh Street Pub.
"We're finishing the last stages of the project," Wiggins added. Watch the full update below:
11:33 a.m. | 11Alive team update - Latest on Atlanta water crisis Tuesday
11:23 a.m. | Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens visits the repair site on Tuesday morning.
10:14 a.m. | The Fulton County Board of Health (FCBOH) facilities at 10 Park Place in Downtown Atlanta are closed to the public on Tuesday due to the ongoing disruption of water service.
All other FCBOH offices have reopened today and will operate under normal business hours.
People who are seeking services and treatment at the 10 Park Place facility are asked to visit the clinics listed below:
- Neighborhood Union Health Center (186 Sunset Avenue N.W.; Atlanta, GA 30314)
- Adamsville Health Center (3700 MLK Jr. Drive S.W. Atlanta, GA 30331)
- College Park Regional Health Center (1920 John Wesley Ave, College Park, GA 30337)
9:59 a.m. | Water main break repairs at Joseph E. Boone Blvd. and J.P. Brawley Dr. are complete, according to the Atlanta watershed, on Tuesday morning. There was no word on when the water would be back flowing.
9:17 a.m. | DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond is asking for updates to the Scott Candler Water Treatment Plant, stating that if not fixed soon, it would create trouble later on.
The board said they would reconvene on the request once a plan is established.
Re-watch the conference below
8:09 a.m. | An update from the city said there are a few more steps until the system is installed.
Here's a side-by-side comparison of the old and new pipes on 11th Street and West Peachtree in Midtown posted by the City of Atlanta.
7:03 a.m. | DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond sent a release stating he would call for a multiyear water and sewer rate increase to finance the repair and upgrade of the county’s aging water and sewer system. A conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. to explain more.
6 a.m. | Latest updates from overnight. Federal help is expected later Tuesday as the boil advisory still remains in effect, leaving residents without proper access to water. Atlanta Watershed Department said a critical part was expected to come in on Monday night but has not said if it made it. Watch for more updates in the video below.
5:57 a.m. | Atlanta watershed posted on X, formally known as Twitter, that the last pipe was being lowered at the West Peachtree location.
Monday, June 3
11:42 p.m. | Update from Atlanta watershed
11:39 p.m. | 11Alive's Angelina Salcedo breaks down the timeline of Atlanta's water crisis and the ongoing impacts.
11:28 p.m. | 11Alive's Cody Alcorn is in Midtown with a rundown of how the city is reaching out to federal partners for help.
10:49 p.m. | 11Alive's Cody Alcorn provided the latest insight into what 11th St. at Peachtree Walk looks like on Monday night as crews continue repairs in the area.
Crews working to resolve water main break | 11th St and Peachtree Walk
10:13 p.m. | 11Alive's Cody Alcorn spoke to an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Tech named Iris Tien, who talked about the water main breaks in the city. Tien said a big part of this is the criticality of the systems and how they're aging in addition to the damages.
"I think it's kind of a wake-up call to realize what is needed and to invest in infrastructure to improve its performance over time," Tien stated. "Bringing to the forefront the importance of these systems that you may not see every day but are really critical to everyday survival."
Tien said the level of what happened with multiple breaks and the cascading effects is different than what utilities may experience from day to day. From Tien's own research, it may be beneficial to take a step back to see what can be done in terms of what's needed and what could be replaced as a way to be proactive in mitigating any potential future issues.
"It's kind of a call to action," Tien stated. "To say that we really need to invest more in these types of systems, we have to have smarter ways to manage them, be strategic about how we do maintenance and repairs and replacements of these systems on an ongoing basis."
Potentially making smaller, incremental investments over time may give a bigger overall return versus one large single response, Tien stated. It is also beneficial to look and take into account the systems from a holistic standpoint.
9:30 p.m. | On Monday, an ordinance was introduced to the Atlanta City Council committee by Councilman Matt Westmoreland that would allow the Chief Financial Officer to transfer up to $5 million to the Atlanta Development Authority doing business with Invest Atlanta to pay for a recovery fund for the city of Atlanta. Invest Atlanta would support small businesses that were impacted by the disruption of water services.
8 p.m. | Atlanta Public Schools (APS) posted an update on social media saying summer school and programs are canceled on Tuesday, June 4, due to the water main breaks.
"We appreciate your patience and understanding as we ensure the safety of our students and staff. For more information," APS added.
7:30 p.m | Here's a look at which communities continue to be impacted by Atlanta's boil water advisory.
6:53 p.m. | The City of Atlanta said watershed management officials has lifted the boil water advisory for the area affected by the water main break at Joseph E. Boone Blvd. and J.P. Brawley Dr. That advisory was issued on Friday, May 31 and is no longer in effect, officials said in the updated news release.
"Sampling has confirmed that the city’s public water may be used for all purposes and does not require boiling. The City’s drinking water meets or exceeds standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as required by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has been notified," officials added in the release.
The boil water advisory remains in place for the Midtown area near West Peachtree and 11th Street and neighborhoods in East Atlanta. Residents should continue to use boil water precautions. To check if your street is impacted, click here or call 311.
"We are currently coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We have sought their assistance because they have the most experience in handling a crisis like this. They will help us develop a plan to assess and evaluate our aging infrastructure," Mayor Andre Dickens said in the release.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have boots on the ground starting on Tuesday, officials added.