August 8, 2005 – The failure of a section of a 30-inch steel water main has caused an interruption in service to portions of southwest Atlanta. The main, which crosses a creek that flows beneath Fairburn Road between Mays Crossing and Heritage Valley Road, broke at a joint. Repairs are expected to take a minimum of 24 hours.
Because of the size of the line and the implications to the service area, the Department evaluated options to isolate the break and minimize service interruption. Officials estimate that 4.2 million gallons of water spilled over a five-hour period.
Service has been interrupted in a small area affecting about 400 people. Because of low water pressure, a boil-water advisory is in effect for a larger area, bounded by Boulder Park Road to the north; and Coweta County to the south, between Fulton Industrial Boulevard and I-285. This area includes the cities of Fairburn and Union City.
The boil-water advisory is a precautionary measure. Residents are advised to boil water used for drinking, cooking and baby food preparation for one minute past a rolling boil.
Design is currently under way, with construction scheduled to begin next year on the Southwest Water Main Improvements Project, which will increase capacity and volume flow in the south service area of Atlanta’s water distribution system. Part of the $3.2 billion Clean Water Atlanta program, the project, which involves the installation of approximately 65,000 feet of new water mains, will provide redundancy to increase the reliability of the existing mains in this area.