A boil water advisory was lifted Sunday evening, more than 24 hours after a water main break on Georgia Tech’s campus led to widespread outages.
The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said in a statement: “Sampling has confirmed there was no contamination of the public water system.”
While it was unclear how many customers were affected, authorities confirmed a 36-inch water main break Saturday at the intersection of Ferst Drive and Hemphill Avenue caused the outages.
Repairs to the water main were ongoing Sunday night, Watershed officials said.
Credit: STEVE SCHAEFER/ AJC.COM
Credit: STEVE SCHAEFER/ AJC.COM
On Saturday night, Atlanta Watershed Management officials released a statement that the “issue has been contained and service has been restored to all areas.” However, the boil water advisory was issued for portions of Atlanta and for the cities of South Fulton, Union City, Fairburn and Chattahoochee Hills.
“There was a water main break at a manufacturing building on campus,” Georgia Tech spokeswoman Denise Ward told AJC.com earlier Saturday. “We are definitely seeing some massive flooding.”
The gushing water flooded the first level of one parking garage on campus, though no buildings appeared to be damaged. Police were called in to reroute traffic away from flooded streets.
“Staff from Georgia Tech Facilities, Georgia Tech Police Department and Atlanta Watershed Management are currently onsite,” the university said in a statement. “We are assessing any damage and have no details about the extent at this time.”
In an afternoon tweet, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said city officials were aware of the issue and working to repair it.
“For those who still have service, a boil water advisory is in effect,” she said.
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Businesses across the city were affected by the outages, prompting many to shut their doors for the afternoon, customers said. MARTA was also forced to close restrooms at four of its stations.
The city’s Department of Watershed Management said on Sunday morning it was testing samples from the impact areas and expected to receive the results in the evening.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
“The boil water advisory will remain in place until DWM is cleared to lift the advisory following sampling protocols,” the department said in a statement.
Residents who experienced outages or low water pressure were encouraged to boil their water for at least one minute before using it. Residents were also urged to use bottled water for drinking, cooking, preparing baby food or brushing their teeth.
“The Department of Watershed Management will follow its flushing protocols for the system as a precaution and has sampled the affected zones to affirm that there is no contamination in the system, the statement read. “The Georgia Environmental Protection Division will advise DWM when the advisory can be lifted.”
