On June 1, 2024, the bustling streets of Downtown Atlanta were hit with water main breaks that caused major disruptions. The interruption led to low water pressure and outages that forced the closure of several businesses and attractions in the area. According to the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management, three large water mains collided, causing problems in two downtown hospitals, a city jail, a county jail, and local shelters.
Several businesses and attractions remained closed on Saturday due to ongoing water issues. One such business was the Georgia Aquarium, which announced that while the problem did not affect the animals directly, it had impacted guest areas like restrooms. Repair crews worked tirelessly to restore service as quickly as possible. In response to the crisis, a boil water advisory was issued for a significant portion of metro Atlanta. The public was urged to limit their water usage to help rebuild pressure in the system.
The Department of Watershed Management assured the public that they were working round-the-clock to address the situation. However, their website went down and social media updates were scarce since Friday night. Despite this setback, plans were already underway to reschedule events that had been affected by the water issues. For instance, rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s concert at State Farm Arena was rescheduled from Friday to Sunday with her performance still scheduled for Saturday.
In a social media post, Megan expressed her disappointment over what had happened but emphasized following Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ protocols for safety purposes. She also extended her thoughts and prayers to those affected by the water outages in downtown Atlanta.
Overall, while there have been some challenges faced by residents and businesses alike during this time of crisis in Downtown Atlanta’s watershed management department is working diligently around-the-clock to restore normalcy as soon as possible
