Atlanta faces major water crisis as Democratic mayor faces criticism

Burst century-old water pipes have kept Atlanta under a boil water advisory since Friday, putting some Georgia residents on edge.

Last week, a series of ruptures occurred on two water mains: one installed in 1910 and the other in 1930. The pipes burst Friday afternoon, leaving downtown residents and of downtown Atlanta without water over the weekend and into Monday. .

“To the people of Atlanta, I want to apologize for frustrating you and frustrating me this weekend,” Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens said. CNN News Central Monday. “This is not how the city, nor visitors, nor residents intended to spend our weekend, having to boil water and deal with low pressure or water outages in certain areas.”

Dickens said the notice was a “precautionary measure”.

“Right now, most Atlantans have water; it’s just that we want to make sure they do it as a precaution,” Dickens said.

Summer school and programs for Atlanta Public Schools were not held Monday due to the boil water advisory. Tourist attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium and World of Coca-Cola are closed due to the state of emergency. Two Megan Thee Stallion concerts scheduled for Friday and Saturday at State Farm Arena have also been postponed.

Dickens was criticized for his handling of the crisis, mainly because of the speed with which the administration reacted to the pauses. When the pipe burst Friday, Dickens was in Memphis, Tennessee, campaigning for re-election for 2025 and did not return to Atlanta until Saturday.

Dickens took no questions at a news conference Monday, which also angered some residents. Still, Dickens told CNN he took the criticism “head on.”

“I take it seriously. I take that to heart,” Dickens said of the criticism. “Residents wanted to see more of me on Saturday morning before the 2 p.m. press conference. I understand this and I apologize for it.

Some residents are now without running water for four days, leaving them frustrated.

“When will the water be restored? Is there an estimated timeline? We live here! Rhett Scircle, an Atlanta resident, shouted at Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Al Wiggins Jr. during Monday’s news conference.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Atlanta’s problems may also reflect a nationwide problem the United States faces due to its deteriorating infrastructure, as 33 percent of U.S. and Canadian water pipes are more than 50 years old, according to a December 2023 study from Utah State University.

“It feels like everything is falling apart,” said Marie Moore, a downtown resident.