Atlanta water leak also hampers Fulton County

As Atlanta struggled to fix its major water leaks, Fulton County elected officials generally remained silent — but county staff reported major effects on operations.

Commissioners whose districts include the affected area, including commission Chairman Robb Pitts, had no comment Monday.

Many county offices closed around noon Friday and employees were sent home when they lost water service, said Jessica Corbitt, the county’s external affairs director.

They included the government center, the county courthouse and juvenile court, the public defender’s office, the Peachtree Center tax assessor’s office and the Helene Mills Senior Center, according to a county news release.

Some essential operations such as the medical examiner’s office and the 911 center lost water service, so they were equipped with portable toilets and hand-washing stations for employees, Corbitt said.

Inmates and staff at the Fulton County Jail are drinking bottled water because of the boil order, according to Natalie Ammons, communications director for the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

“The prison never lost water or water pressure,” she said.

On Sunday, the county announced that all of its facilities would open as usual on Monday, but water fountains at affected offices would remain unusable until the city’s boil water order is lifted. On Monday, Corbitt said the Southeast Senior Center would be closed due to ongoing water pressure issues.

At other senior centers in the affected area, the county provided bottled water, she said.

Nine of the county’s 34 libraries have closed: Auburn Avenue Research, Central, East Atlanta, Kirkwood, Louise Watley at Southeast, Mechanicsville, Metropolitan, Washington Park and West End.

All were scheduled to reopen at 10 a.m. Monday, but the library system announced the East Atlanta library would close at 1:30 p.m. due to the outage. Water fountains and bottle refilling stations remained closed “at all other libraries in the affected area that remain open.”

Some Saturday programs at affected libraries will be postponed, Corbitt said.

The Fulton County Board of Health said many of its offices will remain closed Monday. These included its office at 10 Park Place, its Vital Records office in the County Main Building, the Health and Rehabilitation Center, and the Neighborhood Union Health Center. People with appointments at these locations were asked to call 770-520-7500 to reschedule.