Buckhead water outage: Repairs complete, boil water advisory lifted

Boil water advisory for Buckhead area

A boil water advisory has now been put in place for a section of Buckhead after a problem with a pipe resulted in no water for local residents and businesses for many hours.

ATLANTA - Repairs have been completed on what was a previously reported water outage along Northside Parkway near Howell Mill Road that left more than 75 homes and five apartment complexes in Buckhead without water since Sunday night.

After sampling the water, officials lifted the boil water advisory that was previously in place.

What we know:

According to Atlanta Watershed Management, the outage was caused by a manually-operated 12-inch valve that unexpectedly closed due to vibrations in the system. Crews spent hours locating the issue and have since reopened the valve, restoring water flow to the affected area around Nancy Creek and Northside Parkway.

A boil water advisory was issued out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with guidance from officials. Additionally, water officials are asking residents and businesses within the affected area to restrict water usage to critical use only to allow the system to build pressure. 

The water outage affected the Northside Parkway corridor and surrounding neighborhoods and impacted both residential and commercial areas near Interstate 75, Northside Parkway, and Howell Mill Road. 

After extensive sampling of the water, official say they determined it there was no contamination and lifted the boil water advisory.

What they're saying:

The outage began Sunday night in the Nancy Creek and Northside Parkway area after a valve unexpectedly closed, cutting off service to nearby homes and businesses. Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management said the issue was difficult to diagnose and took nearly 24 hours to locate.

"This is different," said Greg Eyerly, commissioner of the Department of Watershed Management. "We didn't even know if we had a break, where it was. Or in this case, a valve was closed."

Eyerly said the department is pushing to upgrade its aging infrastructure with more automation, which could have sped up the response.

"When we talk about automated meters, we would pick up multiple locations of where we're out of water," he said.

The other side:

"Water is life," said Errol Malcolm, a nearby resident. "If you don't have water, you have no life. You know. So I appreciate it. Coming here this morning and getting it."

Jamie Newton, another resident, said her household was without water for about 41 hours.

"All day yesterday—there were no updates. There was nothing," Newton said. "I'm angry. It's been a really long time and I mean, I know it was a holiday weekend."

Water service disrupted in Buckhead

Crews are working to discover the cause of a water outage that has left parts of Buckhead high and dry for more than a day.