Atlanta Boil Water Map Shows Area Impacted as State of Emergency Declared

City authorities declared a state of emergency in Atlanta on Saturday evening after two water main breaks the day before left parts of the state’s capital without water and under boil water advisories.

According to Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management (DWM), the breaks happened on Friday in downtown and Midtown Atlanta on a 48-inch and 36-inch transmission line “that carries large volumes of water to the metropolitan area.”

Crews worked through the night to repair the breaks, according to the department, and by Saturday evening the repair of the main water break was complete, though the boil water advisory remained in place.

Newsweek contacted Atlanta’s DWM for additional information by email on Sunday morning.

Residents and property owners in areas which have experienced power outages and/or low water pressures are urged to boil all water prior to use for one minute past a rolling boil. Alternatively, they should use bottled water for drinking, cooking, preparing baby food or brushing teeth. People should also avoid drinking from public water fountains in the affected areas.

Below is the latest updated map of the areas under boil water advisories at the time this story was published:

“Crews have completed multiple rounds of repairs on the aging pipe at the junction of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and J.P. Brawley Drive The system is gradually being brought back online to allow for the rebuilding of system pressure,” Atlanta’s DWM wrote in a news release. Residents of the areas should have water restored soon.

“The boil water advisory is still in effect out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with Georgia EPD [Environmental Product Declaration] guidance for public advisory.” Drivers and pedestrians are still being asked to avoid the area.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, who declared a state of emergency in the city on Saturday evening, apologized to residents for the inconvenience caused by the water main breaks and said the boil water advisory “will remain in place until DWM is cleared to lift it following sampling protocols.”

In one of his updates posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday evening, Dickens wrote that the department had tested water in the affected zones and found no contamination.

City authorities wrote that residents affected by the water outages can pick up water at fire stations, limited to one case per resident. The stations are at: 1-71 Elliot Street; 2- 1568 Jonesboro Road; 10-447 Boulevard; and 16-1048 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.

The timeline for the repair of the second break at 11th Street NE and West Peachtree Street NE remains uncertain.