On Saturday, businesses and attractions in downtown Atlanta were closed due to water main breaks that caused water outages and low pressure. The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management reported that water gushed into the street where three large water mains intersect, impacting two downtown hospitals, a city jail, a county jail, and local shelters.
The Georgia Aquarium was one of the attractions that remained closed on Saturday due to the water issues. The aquarium stated that the problem was not affecting the animals but was impacting guest areas like restrooms. Crews worked tirelessly throughout Friday and Saturday to restore water service, issuing a boil water advisory for a large part of metro Atlanta and requesting the public to conserve water to help rebuild system pressure.
The City Government was actively addressing the water issue, promising updates on their website and social media. However, the website was down on Saturday morning, and there had been no social media updates since Friday night. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s concert was rescheduled from Friday to Sunday due to the water situation, but her Saturday performance at State Farm Arena was set to go ahead as planned.
Megan Thee Stallion expressed disappointment about the situation but stated that she would follow the Mayor’s protocol. The rapper also shared her thoughts and prayers for those affected by the loss of water access. Despite efforts to contact them via phone and email, the water department’s communication office was not providing updates on Saturday morning.