Water main breaks in Atlanta causing widespread issues (2024)

ATLANTA — Editor's note: Issues with water in the city were still ongoing into Saturday.

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The city's Department of Watershed Management is investigating several major water main breaks in Atlanta that are causing widespread issues throughout the city.

It all started early Friday, just after 8 a.m., when a break happened in the Vine City neighborhood, near the intersection of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW and James P. Brawley Drive.

The department said that the break happened when three different lines came together and carried a large amount of water into the city to different areas. It caused water outages and low water pressure throughout a large swath of the midtown/downtown areas.

However, more than 12 hours of the first break was reported, the department was left responding to reports of multiple additional breaks in other parts of the city within miles of the original break, however watershed officials said they are not believed to be connected. It's unclear if a boil water advisory already in place will be expanded.

11Alive is tracking some of them below:

Atlantic Drive NW

In the latest update from Atlanta Watershed on Friday night, officials said they are investigating a potential water main break at 1190 Atlantic Dr. NW, which is near Atlantic Station.

W. Peachtree St. NW & 11th St. NE

Atlanta Watershed crews are also investigating near the intersection of W. Peachtree St. NW & 11th St. NE.

11Alive's Cody Alcorn was at the scene, which is next to the Eleventh Street Pub.

11Alive's Angelina Salcedo was also on the scene of the water main break in Midtown.

Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW water main break

This break is what crews originally responded to Friday morning. According to the department, this breaks is where a 36-inch water main meets with another 48-inch main in the Vine City neighborhood near the intersection of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard NW and James P. Brawley Drive. That's on the city's west side and near several major landmarks and attractions, including the Atlanta University Center, Georgia Tech, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The department said that the break in the main, which carries a large amount of water into the city, is causing water outages and low water pressure throughout a large swath of the midtown/downtown areas.

Services at Atlanta City Hall, Grady Memorial Hospital and other public facilities and attractions confirmed they were experiencing water issues. 11Alive reached out to other businesses in the area to confirm outages or other impacts.See the full list here.

Video of the scene from the 11Alive SkyTracker Friday afternoon showed the intersection flooded as crews tried to fix the break.

In an update on Friday night, Atlanta watershed officials provided the following statement on social media in reference to the Joseph E. Boone Blvd water main break. There's still not an estimated time period for when there will be a full resolution.

Crews from watershed management responded to the site and were "working aggressively" to make repairs to the break affecting the service area, according to the department. Repairs were set to begin at 5 p.m., the department said in an update. But, as of 6:30 p.m., 11Alive crews out on the scene said that it appeared no work had begun.

Al Wiggins with the Department of Watershed provided an update Friday afternoon.

"We're studying the maps to make sure that we can make the repairs in the most efficient manner," Wiggins said. "Also, we're giving our customers the opportunity to prepare for a potential outage posted 5 o'clock. I want to stress that there's a potential outage."

Wiggins added there may be moments of interruption to water services as crews worked to make repairs. You can watch his full update below:

It appeared that the break on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard was not the only water issue impacting the city. The department's outage map also showed another potential issue off Glenwood Avenue SE, on the east side of the city, near the East Lake Golf Club. Watershed officials told 11Alive it was unrelated to the break at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.

Reports from residents online said entire apartment buildings were without water, and others reported outages from Grant Park to the Poncy-Highland area.

Boil water advisory

Later in the afternoon, the Department of Watershed Management issued a boil water advisory for a large part of metro Atlanta and asked the public to restrict water usage to allow the pressure in the system to rebuild.

The boil water advisory will remain in place until the Georgia EPD clears the Department of Watershed Management to lift it following sampling and testing.

This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.

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