A broken 84-year-old DeKalb County water main has prompted a boil water advisory Wednesday.
The 30-inch pipe broke Tuesday, causing a large hole to form on Clairmont Road, which is closed between Bragg Street and Dresden Drive. The county said nearly 8,800 households, representing an estimated 20,000 people, in the Toco Hill neighborhood and surrounding areas have low to no water pressure. Emory University, some Emory Healthcare hospitals and clinics, as well as K-12 schools are also impacted.
The advisory includes the areas bordered by Moreland Avenue on the west, Candler Street/Clairemont Avenue on the east, Mason Mill on the north, and Hosea Williams on the south. It will be in place until further notice, the Department of Watershed Management said in an alert sent to residents. The alert initially included incorrect boundary directions.
DeKalb officials told Channel 2 Action News that the county has called crews from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Birmingham, Alabama, to help with the pipes.
Watershed Management Director David Hayes said they are “very optimistic to have the water restored and back to normal” by 2 p.m. Wednesday.
“It’s our intent to rectify the situation as quickly as possible,” county CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson told the news station.
Emory University reported “a significant drop in water pressure” as crews work on the repair.
“We anticipate there will soon be no running water,” the university said in a statement. “We anticipate that this outage could last for several hours.”
Emory Healthcare locations within the advisory’s area include the Emory University Hospital and its rehabilitation facility and all Emory clinics on Clifton Road. Emory Long-Term Acute Care on North Candler Street is also impacted.
The sites are still caring for patients, and bottled water is available for drinking and personal hygiene needs at affected facilities. The health care system said it is following food preparation guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Surgeries, procedures and appointments will continue as normal today at the above locations,” the health care system said in a statement.
City Schools of Decatur also is providing bottled water at its schools. Sack meals will be served for breakfast, and lunch will be adjusted as needed.
DeKalb County School District said its buildings are operating without any schedule changes. The district delivered bottled water to several schools and toilets are working, a spokesperson said.
Repair work has left several businesses cut off to traffic, including the Clairmont Center shopping plaza.
According to the county, the break was caused by the age of the pipe, a cast iron structure installed in 1941, and the freezing weather.
The loss of water pressure is necessary to drain a water tank and to access the damaged pipe for repairs. Crews have been working throughout the night.
Bottled water is being dispatched to the following distribution centers:
- Fire Station 1 – 1670 Clifton Road;
- Fire Station 3 – 24 N. Clarendon Ave.;
- Fire Station 7 – 1712 Columbia Drive;
- Fire Station 9 – 3858 N. Druid Hills Road;
- Fire Station 20 – 2919 Warren Road;
- RaceTrac – 3630 Clairmont Road.
Residents requiring additional information should contact the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management at dekalbwaterops@dekalbcountyga.gov or by phone at 770-270-6243.
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