ATLANTA — Some Atlanta residents still lack running water as the Atlanta Watershed makes repairs to a water main break near 11th and West Peachtree Street.
The residents said they had no water for days. Others lost water services on Tuesday.
In the latest update on Atlanta Watershed's social media page, Commissioner Al Wiggins explained that crews replaced a nearly 100-year-old pipe Tuesday.
Kevin McClelland said he lives at the PeachtreeWalk Condominiums, right across from the construction. When he noticed repairs over the weekend, he prepared himself.
“We filled bathtubs," McClelland said. "So, that was a really good precaution.”
Throughout the water main break construction, he has been helping his friends, letting them shower at his place over the weekend while he still had running water.
“Even though we’re right here on 11th Street, it hasn’t affected us at all. So, we’ve had full water every day since the beginning," McClelland said.
Now, he'll have to call in those favors soon. McClelland said his service was interrupted for the first time Tuesday.
“This morning, I turned on the facets," McClelland said. "And it’s a trickle, at most."
However, Olivia Ellzey said she's been without water since Monday after returning from a trip.
“I have not been cooking," Ellzey said. "I was eating out just because I didn’t want to deal with it. And then, I showered at a friend’s house and the gym.”
Ellzey said it's been inconvenient.
"It’s definitely been frustrating, working from home, especially just trying to cook and do the dishes," Ellzey said.
She said she has been improvising as she awaited for services to return.
"We bought water from the store," Ellzey said. "And we just got a couple of jugs we’ve been trying to use for drinking and flushing the toilet.”
Ellzey is hoping the water pressure will be back to normal soon.
"I’m wondering when it’s coming back on," Ellzey said. "I’m hoping it’ll be today, but we haven’t gotten too many updates.”
In the meantime, McClelland was able to grab a case of water from Atlanta Fire Rescue Crews, handing them out near 10th Street. He remains optimistic about a solution. He hopes for water services in the next few days.
“I am manifesting that this case of water is going to be plenty in order to hold me over because I know that the city is going to have the water on very soon," McClelland said. "I’m expecting, with the repairs that are happening right there, within the next day or so, I should be good to go again."
Commissioner Wiggins said workers are finishing the final stages of this project. He said one last piece needs to be installed. Next, they'll add pressure to install it and pressurize all lines. Then, crews will still need to flush the system for safe water. After that, the project is done. Residents should still boil water until given the all-clear.