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Atlanta City Council to meet Monday after water main breaks

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The Atlanta City Council meets today, the first such gathering since a weekend of water main breaks disrupted service across much of downtown, including impacts on residents, businesses, restaurants, government buildings, public health facilities and attractions.

The council meeting begins at 1 p.m., with the first few hours typically reserved for public comment. The water main breaks – and lack of updates from the city, especially overnight Friday into Saturday – are likely a point of anger for residents. It is unclear whether council members will request an update from the Department of Watershed during the meeting.

Atlanta’s water crisis began Friday when 48- and 36-inch pipes under Joseph E. Boone Boulevard near JP Brawley Drive burst, leaving many people downtown without water or with extremely high pressure. low. Crews worked throughout the weekend to try to restore service. But the problems expanded further Sunday with new ruptures at Euclid and North avenues and at 1190 Atlantic Drive NW.

In Midtown Sunday, water continued to flow from a broken water main at West Peachtree and 11th Street, flooding the road and seeping into nearby buildings. Authorities don’t know what caused the break, although they don’t believe it is related to the one on Joseph E. Boone Boulevard.

ExploreOld pipes, tight spaces: why repairs take so long.

On the council’s agenda today is approval of the city’s budget, including the $853 million general fund.

Earlier this month, Atlanta voters supported the 1 percent sales tax that will fund water and sewer projects for another four years. The renewed tax is estimated to raise about $1.1 billion over the next four years. It will come into force in October and will last until September 2028.

It is not clear how many residents have been without water since Friday. Watershed provides services to more than 1.2 million people, the division says on its website under “Fun Facts.”

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