Atlanta ice: Crews struggle to repair new water main breaks

By Ty Tagami, Kristi E. Swartz and Marcus K. Garner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As of late Tuesday afternoon, Atlanta crews were working to repair 26 water main breaks.

Eighteen more breaks occurred on Tuesday alone.

"It's putting tremendous pressure on our crews," Atlanta Watershed Management spokeswoman Janet Ward told the AJC.

Atlanta has 15 crews dedicated to working on the city's water mains, she said. While that averages one crew per broken water main, Ward noted that it doesn't really work out that way since more than one crew is required to work on many of the breaks.

Watershed management officials could bring in contractors if needed, but Ward said their own workers know the area best.

"Nobody knows the systems like the guys who work on it day in and day out," she said.

As the mains break, water flows onto roadways and eventually becomes ice in freezing temperatures. The Georgia Department of Transportation is trying to spread salt and gravel on state roads where possible until watershed management crews can fix the broken lines, DOT spokesman Mark McKinnon said.

The latest breaks under repair were on these streets:

• Ardley Road SW
• Brennan Lane SW
• Brownwood Avenue/Gracewood Avenue SE
• Clifton Street SE
• Deauville Court NW
• Deckner Drive SW
• Herron Trail
• Hightide Circle
• Homestead Avenue NE
• Jonesboro Road SE/Thayer Avenue SE
• Kelso Drive SW
• Park Lane
• Pelham Road NE
• Roxboro Road
• Sumter Street NW