Atlanta experienced a major water crisis on June 1, 2024, when three large water mains burst in downtown and Midtown areas. The disruption caused significant problems for hospitals, jails, shelters, businesses and residential areas. Atlanta officials were criticized for slow communication regarding the issue.
The Georgia Aquarium and many other attractions and businesses were affected by the water problem, leading to closures or restrictions. Mayor Andre Dickens promised updates every two hours until the situation was resolved.
Communication from city officials regarding the water issue was widely criticized for being slow and inadequate. Some residents even went as far as posting flyers around their neighborhoods asking for help finding the mayor.
The problems began on Friday morning and affected both downtown Atlanta and Midtown areas. Water usage was restricted to allow pressure in the system to rebuild.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion's concert, scheduled for Saturday at State Farm Arena, was moved to Sunday due to the water issue. She had previously updated fans about the status of her Saturday night show before the announcement.
The Georgia Aquarium remained closed on Saturday due to ongoing water issues.
Water main breaks in downtown Atlanta and Midtown have been negatively impacting residents and businesses all over metro Atlanta. Emergency repairs were being made to the water mains by city crews, but a boil-water advisory was issued due to low water pressure in the system.
The impacted area was initially reported as city-wide but was later clarified by the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management. A scheduled water outage began at 5 p.m. for parts of metro Atlanta as workers started to repair the pipe, with an unknown restoration time.
Mayor Andre Dickens announced a State of Emergency in Atlanta on Saturday night due to multiple water main breaks affecting a large area from downtown to westside to midtown to southwest Atlanta.
The City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management issued a boil water advisory for most of the city from midtown and below, including areas north of Ponce de Leon Ave. and west of I-75.
Utility and city officials said that repairs had been completed at the site of the water main break that caused most of the disrupted service, allowing for water pressure to increase. No contamination had been found in preliminary tests of the water, but the boil-water notice remained in effect.