A key Atlanta water main break is now fixed, but a boil advisory is still in place for many, city says

Crews in Atlanta completed repairs Wednesday morning to a key water main whose break, among others, contributed to a huge swath of the city spending days without safe drinking water – though a boil advisory remains in effect for many homes and businesses “out of an abundance of caution,” the city said.

Crews in Atlanta completed repairs Wednesday morning to a key water main whose break, among others, contributed to a huge swath of the city spending days without safe drinking water – though a boil advisory remains in effect for many homes and businesses “out of an abundance of caution,” the city said. Water service is “slowly being brought back online to allow system pressures to rebuild,” officials said in a news release, following a vast and lengthy breakdown that highlighted the decaying infrastructure criss-crossing a major Southern hub and many other major American cities. A boil water advisory is still in place Wednesday for a portion of Atlanta from downtown to Midtown and across several eastern Atlanta neighborhoods after crews completed repairs to the broken water main at 11th and West Peachtree streets in Midtown, restoring water to nearby customers. The state Environmental Protection Division will notify the city when the advisory can be lifted, the city’s news release said. “We are pleased to announce that water service has been fully restored across our city. Our dedicated teams have worked tirelessly to resolve the issue, and I applaud them for their service,” Mayor Andre Dickens, who’s been criticized for his response to the crisis, said in the news release. “We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our residents and businesses during this challenging time,” said the mayor, who on Saturday declared a state of emergency over the tap water situation. “Together, we have demonstrated the resilience that defines our city.” The city’s water difficulties began Friday, when the first two of a series of water main breaks emerged along two pipes that were about a century old – one 36 inches, the other 48 inches, Dickens said. One of the failed pipes was installed in 1910, while another dated to 1930, he said.