Atlanta made repairs to a damaged water main on Monday, taking a big step toward fixing widespread water issues that have plagued parts of the city since Friday night.
The city made repairs on Monday using parts that had to be brought in from Alabama.
A boil advisory was still in effect for thousands of residents on Monday. Some taller buildings in the city remained closed because water pressure was too low to operate their plumbing.
Burst pipes caused major leaks in Atlanta's water mains near downtown last Friday, and were repaired by Saturday. Then another leak occurred when a pipe burst near midtown, which continued to spill water until Monday's repairs.
Officials say corroded infrastructure led to the first leak. It was not clear what caused the second leak. Repairs were made difficult because of confined spaces, and due to high-pressure water cutting off access to shut-off valves. In midtown, workers had to dig new access holes from a block away to turn off the water.
Officials have also not given a timeline for when full water service will be restored, and have not provided an estimate of how many people may have been affected.
"We are laser-focused on this problem and my administration understands how critical water is for our lifeline in this city," Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Monday.
U.S. News
State of emergency declared in Atlanta over massive water main break
Dickens declared a state of emergency to make resources to address the damage more quickly available. Firefighters were distributing bottled water on Monday, including to Marie Moore, whose high-rise building had lost water pressure.
Moore said she wanted Atlanta to bring more federal resources to bear on its infrastructure troubles.
“It seems like everything is falling apart,” she said.
