“So ready for it to end.”

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens on Tuesday morning visited West Peachtree Street and 11th Street in Midtown, where repairs are underway to fix a broken water main on the fifth day of the water crisis.

Crews worked through the night at the site, one of two significant interruptions since Friday afternoon that have left thousands of people in the city with little or no pressure and many more residents forced to boil water. ‘water. Businesses have also felt the consequences and financial difficulties.

A large 30-inch pipe was seen being lowered into the hole Tuesday morning. According to the city, the Department of Watershed Management was prepared to begin installation and conduct the remaining steps to restore water service. As a precaution, the city said the department would follow its “system flushing protocols” and had sampled affected areas to ensure there was no contamination in the system.

“I’m making progress,” Dickens told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the scene. “(I’m) so ready for this to be over. The people here too.

“Finally, I got it fixed,” the mayor said of the pipe, adding that crews would begin “pressurizing the lines soon.” Dickens mentioned that the pipe was “too old” and had been around for about a century. He said he didn’t want to make predictions about when the work would be completed, but said “hopefully this morning.”

While work was underway in the area, Norfolk Southern is limiting the use of its headquarters on West Peachtree Street, near the intersection of Third Street, to essential employees in order to minimize potential strain on the building and to alleviate traffic.

Meanwhile, Atlanta Public Schools canceled its summer classes and programs for the second day in a row.

“We appreciate your patience and understanding as we keep our students and staff safe,” the school district said in a social media post.

Dickens, who has received criticism from residents over a lack of communication during the crisis, was escorted out of a news conference at the West Peachtree site Monday without answering questions, but said help could arrive Tuesday . His office has coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and anticipates they will arrive today.

“We asked for their help because they have the most experience in handling a crisis like this,” the mayor said. “They will help us develop a plan to assess our aging infrastructure.”

Georgia Tech, one of Midtown’s major players, remains under a boil water advisory but was otherwise unaffected. Its campus, located about a mile southwest of the broken West Peachtree water main, suffered “minimal impact,” according to spokesperson Blair Meeks. Six blocks south of the compromised water main, Georgia Tech’s Coda building had constant access to water.

“(It experienced) intermittent water pressure issues, but never enough to send people home, close buildings or change operations,” Meeks said. “No workaround is necessary.”

Monday also saw some relief for residents when officials announced that the boil water advisory had been lifted for those affected by the other major break on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard near JP Brawley Drive, where 48-inch and 36-inch transmission lines broke. These steel pipes were more than 80 years old, according to DWM Commissioner Al Wiggins Jr.

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

It was the first break to cause significant water outages and low water pressure for residents in a large part of the city, near the city center. Authorities imposed a boil water advisory on residents in these neighborhoods from Friday afternoon until around 7 p.m. Monday. Subsequent outages led to additional outages and boil water advisories that remain in effect in areas around the East Atlanta neighborhood and in the area of ​​West Peachtree and 11th Street, according to a release from the city.

Repairs to a large, centrally located water main are difficult, multi-step processes, and each step takes hours. A major setback for watershed crews occurred when their initial repairs at this critical Boone intersection didn’t work and they were forced to restart.

The broken water main on West Peachtree posed a different type of challenge because the water shutoff valve was directly below the geyser seen from street level, city officials said. Watershed officials asked to let the outage run all day Saturday to minimize service interruptions to the area.

Water was seen gushing from the break until Monday morning. On Sunday morning, some spectators jokingly called it the “water apocalypse” or the “West Peachtree River.”

West Peachtree remains closed from 10th Street to 12th Street, with restricted access to the bike path and sidewalk on the east side of the road. The opposite sidewalk is closed from 10th to 12th streets

“To maintain the safety of work crews and the public, we ask pedestrians, e-scooter riders and cyclists to refrain from entering the construction zone between 10th and 12th Streets,” the statement said. responsible. “Please keep the construction area clear of all types of traffic while crews work to repair the water main and restore water services to the surrounding community. »

Credit: John Spink

Credit: John Spink

Additional main breaks were later discovered and repaired at 4370 Minkslide Drive, 1190 Atlantic Drive and the intersection of Euclid and North avenues in northeast Atlanta. On Monday, crews investigated a potential break near Clayton Road and Armor Drive and shut off an 8-inch pipe at Fairlock Lane that was supplying water to 20 homes and a fire hydrant. They also reported another outage at 472 Gartrell Street, where four homes, three fire hydrants and an apartment complex lost water.

On Tuesday, officials said additional repairs were made to another address on Fairlock Lane, impacting water service to 40 homes and businesses, as well as a fire hydrant. Emergency repairs were also made to 2256 Beecher Road, where water service was interrupted to 25 homes, one business and two fire hydrants.

DeKalb County also announced Monday that an uprooted tree caused a 6-inch water main to rupture near the affected area in Atlanta. However, it was repaired within a few hours.

Dickens declared a state of emergency in Atlanta to free up resources for repairs. The city also activated a joint operations center, improving the regularity of communications.

On Monday, the city announced that the Atlanta Fire Department was providing one case of water per household at several of its stations. They are also distributing water Tuesday at West Peachtree and 10th Street, West Peachtree and 12th Street, and Peachtree Walk and 11th Street.

Water was seen gushing from a fire hydrant along West Peachtree Street Tuesday morning as firefighters handed out water bottles.

Credit: John Spink / [email protected]

Credit: John Spink / [email protected]

On Monday, Emory Hospital Midtown and Grady Memorial Hospital announced things were back to normal, along with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Sports and entertainment events also took place on Sunday after previous cancellations.

— Staff writers Kelly Yamanouchi and Zachary Hansen contributed to this article.