LISTEN: After a series of water mains breaks that began Friday in Atlanta, a large portion of residents remain without drinkable water. GPB’s Amanda Andrews reports business owners are also demanding financial relief.
Atlanta City Council met Monday afternoon at City Hall in the first full council meeting since a series of water main breaks wreaked havoc on a large portion of downtown and Midtown Atlanta over the weekend.
In addition to residents dealing with low or no water pressure and a boil water advisory that continues for the fourth day in affected areas, there were canceled concerts and tourist attractions and closed companies of all sizes.
Organizers from the Black Futurists Group showed up at Monday's City Council meeting to demand emergency relief for businesses, more funding for public works, and a timeline for when repairs will be complete.
Their proposed relief would include up to $10,000 for small businesses and up to $25,000 for larger ones.
Trinket Lewis owns a juice bar in Southwest Atlanta. She says every day without water matters.
“This is our high season," she said. "So we’re looking at if we don’t make our quota in the summertime, then obviously in the wintertime we’re extremely affected. So over the last three days our sales have decreased between 58% and 62%.”
The city of Atlanta has yet to release a timeline on when the pipes will be repaired, and water fully restored.
UPDATE:
Later in the meeting, Atlanta City Councilmember Matt Westmoreland proposed and ordinance offering financial support to business owners who have been impacted by the water interruption using funds from Invest ATL.
Mayor Andre Dickens spoke at the end of the Atlanta City Council meeting to announce the city is awaiting support from the Army Corps of Engineers.
“We have sought their assistance because they are the government entity that most, have the most actual experience in these type of crises that we are in with crumbling and aging infrastructure,” Dickens said.
The group could be in Atlanta as soon as Tuesday.
"Sampling has confirmed that the city’s public water may be used for all purposes and does not require boiling," a release said. "The City’s drinking water meets or exceeds standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as required by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has been notified."
An advisory remains in place for the Midtown area near West Peachtree and 11th Street and neighborhoods in East Atlanta. Residents in this area should continue to follow boil water precautions. To determine if your street is still impacted, you can visit the City of Atlanta's official website at (http://atlantaga.gov) or call 311 for confirmation.
This is a developing story.
