UPDATE: ‘Essential repairs’ on broken water main taking place in Midtown Atlanta

Caption

Crews work to repair the 11th Street water main in Atlanta at 7:30 a.m. Monday, June 3, 2024.

Credit: Beth McKibben / Rough Draft Atlanta

If you live on 11th Street or West Peachtree Street in Midtown you may have woken up without water this morning.

That’s because Atlanta Watershed announced at 12:30 a.m. this morning that it would have to shut off water at 1 a.m. to those streets to complete “essential repairs” on a broken water main that has been gushing since Friday night.

In social media posts and a press release sent to the media at 12:30 a.m., Atlanta Watershed said it would shut off water on 11th Street between West Peachtree and Peachtree Streets as well as a stretch of West Peachtree between 10th to 12th Streets.

How long the water will be turned off is unknown. In a video posted to social media just before 7 a.m., Mayor Andre Dickens was shown at the Midtown work site at 2 a.m. He said in the video that special parts had to be retrieved from Alabama on Sunday to make the repair.

Dickens addressed residents in the video: “To the residents of Atlanta: We are on the case working to solve this problem. Thank you for your patience. I know this situation is very frustrating. This is the same crew that fixed the break on Brawley so now they’re going to resolve this one on West Peachtree—11th & 12th so the community all across Atlanta will be safe and sanitary soon.”

The city is giving away water to residents in need at Fire Station 11 (165 16th St.) and Fire Station 15 at 170 10th St.

Commuters can expect detours around the area of 11th and West Peachtree as repair work continues.

Caption

Atlanta crews managed to curb the violent flow of water seen over the weekend beside Eleventh Street Pub from the 11th Street water main break in Midtown on June 3 as repairs continue.

Credit: Beth McKibben / Rough Draft Atlanta

The geyser of water blew out the windows at Eleventh Street Pub, which are now boarded up and covered in plastic. It’s unclear if the bar sustained any water damage as a result.

Atlanta Watershed crews installed new shutoff valves near the Midtown main break on Sunday in an apparent effort to isolate the incident. 

The latest repair comes after a weekend water crisis that saw most of the city’s core lose water or experience low pressure starting Friday morning. A boil water advisory remains in place across the affected area. 

The weekend without water in Atlanta caused ripple effects, including restaurants and businesses losing untold amounts of money. Tourist attractions were shuttered, major events postponed, and hospitals were diverting patients. 

This is a developing story. Check back for updates. This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.