Atlanta is recovering two days after a water main break disrupted supply to much of the city, prompting the mayor to declare a state of emergency and forcing a major hospital to divert ambulances and relocate patients.
The culprit, at least in part, was aging, corroded infrastructure, Mayor Andre Dickens said in his emergency declaration.
That and other issues took out a 46-inch line and 36-inch transmission line downtown, as well as the one in Midtown. The slowed or cut-off water supply affected everything from Grady Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown to State Farm Arena, where Megan Thee Stallion’s Friday and Saturday shows were canceled.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was also affected, according to CNN, and the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola were shuttered on Saturday.
The Atlanta City Detention Center, Fulton County Jail and local shelters were also affected, as were most of the city’s residents. The outage began Friday morning at the juncture of three large water mains just west of downtown, Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Al Wiggins Jr. said Saturday. Repairs were finished Saturday evening.
AP Photo/Mike Stewart
Water gushes out of a broken water transmission line in downtown Atlanta on Saturday (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Officials weren’t sure what caused the third break in the Midtown neighborhood, which is chock full of new skyscrapers housing offices, hotels and apartments. That leak was still spouting water on Sunday, city officials said.
Emory University Hospital Midtown had to transfer dialysis patients on Saturday and divert ambulances except for ones carrying patients with urgent heart issues, officials said. There wasn’t enough water pressure to flush toilets and the hospital had to rely on bottled water, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. About 5,000 patients are hospitalized there.
Maintaining the cooling systems took 58,000 gallons of water delivered by six tanker trucks, a spokesperson said.
City workers handed out cases of water and provided portable toilets at fire stations around the city.
A water-boil advisory remained in effect Sunday for metropolitan Atlanta “out of an abundance of caution,” the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said.
“I know it’s been a tough and frustrating day for many of you, but I’m glad to have some positive news to report tonight,” Dickens said at a press conference late Saturday announcing that one of the two major breaks had been repaired.
With News Wire Services
