UPDATE | Water main break near Decatur repaired

DeKalb County crews have completed repairs on a water main break in unincorporated Decatur.

The six-inch wide pipe broke on Monday on Nichols Lane near McAfee Road.

The break was caused by an uprooted tree, according to a news release from the county. Water service has been restored to the area but nearby residents may experience brown water and are advised to run inside and outside faucets to clear the plumbing.

The disruption in DeKalb comes as neighboring Atlanta continues repairing a major break in Midtown. Over the weekend, the city fixed a separate major break near the intersection of Joseph E. Boone Boulevard near J.P. Brawley Drive. Parts of Atlanta remain under a boil water advisory.

Both localities are plagued with aging infrastructure. DeKalb deals with an average of three water main breaks per day, Maria Houser told commissioners last month. Houser oversees DeKalb’s compliance with a federal consent decree that mandates improvements to the county’s sewer system.

The pipes in DeKalb break more than twice as often as those of other water utilities in the Southeast, she said. Most of the breaks involve six-inch pipes installed between 1940 and 1970.

Houser told commissioners replacing the county’s aging pipes would cost approximately $4.4 billion. At $75 million per year, it would take until 2050 to complete.