ATLANTA — Work is underway to replace a two-foot-wide water pipe that a private contractor broke while excavating to install fiber optic cables.
The break happened Thursday at the intersection of Jonesboro Road and Moury Avenue in southeast Atlanta.
About 70 homes in the area have lost water service. One homeowner showed us, that no water is coming out of her faucets when she turns them on.
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“I have to brush my teeth with a water bottle, can’t do any cooking, can’t take a shower. I’m about to go to my in-laws to take a shower,” neighbor Aisha Lucas told Channel’s 2 Tom Regan.
The break also cut off service to four public schools in the area which reported low or no water pressure. A woman came to Price Middle School to pick her younger brother before school let out.
“There’s a lot of parents taking their kids out because it doesn’t seem sanitary anymore,” said Marianne Rodriguez.
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Atlanta Public Schools said it would provide bottled water at the affected schools and send potable water trailers to provide water service to restroom facilities. However, Rodriquez’s brother told her he had an unpleasant experience when he went to use the restroom.
“For the one I just took out, he said he had to use a bucket. Because the toilets don’t flush, and they don’t have enough pressure to basically flush them,” said Rodriquez.
Atlanta Watershed said the damage to the water line was caused by a private contractor striking the 24-inch water line, causing the main to rupture. The City of Atlanta says it does not have infrastructure issues and continue to work to repair the main.
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