Normal water service anticipated in Atlanta on Wednesday morning after several days of disruptions, authorities announce.
The city of Atlanta expects water service to be fully restored by 11 a.m. following fixes to a damaged water main located at the intersection of 11th and West Peachtree streets in Midtown. As per a news bulletin published on Tuesday, residents are still advised to boil their water due to an ongoing advisory covering sections of downtown Atlanta as well as nearby areas in East Atlanta.
Atlanta's water troubles started on a Friday when faults developed in two pipes that were almost a century old – one with a diameter of 36 inches, the other having a diameter of 48 inches. Mayor Andre Dickens revealed that one of the broken pipes was installed in 1910, while the other dated back to 1930.
On Saturday, Dickens declared an emergency due to the succession of pipeline failures that resulted in extensive disruptions in the city. He commented that Emory University Hospital Midtown began diverting ambulances to other hospitals while relocating dialysis patients, though regular care was carried out once more on Sunday. Atlanta Public Schools, in turn, wiped out many of their summer programs on Monday and Tuesday, promising to resume them after service to water has been resumed.
Repair work on a rupture close to downtown was completed on Saturday, subsequently allowing the removal of a prior boil water warning in the area.
These pipeline failures have shed light on the degrading infrastructure traversing Atlanta alongside many other major American cities.
At a Monday afternoon council meeting, Atlanta Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks shared her thoughts on the condition of Atlanta's infrastructure: "What we have discovered, by digging and digging and digging, we are fixing pipes from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and our infrastructure is falling apart."
In the same meeting, Dickens explained that the US Army Corps of Engineers had arrived in the city to assist in drafting a strategy for appraising and analyzing the city's decaying infrastructure. He also cautioned that while progressing Atlanta's infrastructure would facilitate quick fixes, it wouldn't preclude future breaks.
Atlanta's dilemma is linked to a larger problem plaguing Canada and the US, where above 30% of water mains are over 50 years old, according to a December 2023 report from Utah State University. The study also stated that failing water pipes have an average age of 53 years.
Around 260,000 water main failures happen annually in the US and Canada, incurring approximately $2.6 billion in costs every year. [Verified]
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In light of the US Army Corps of Engineers' aid, Mayor Dickens is working closely with them to develop a strategy for assessing and addressing Atlanta's aging infrastructure. To ensure safety, the city continues to advise its residents to boil their water, even as normal service is anticipated for 'us' on Wednesday morning.
