DeKalb Watershed Management crews continued to work Thursday to repair a water main that ruptured early Wednesday, flooding the basements of two homes and causing a huge sink hole and gas leak.
The break occurred in the 1700 block of Parkhill Drive near Glenwood Road near Decatur. The road will remain closed until Thursday.
DeKalb fire Battalion Chief Martin Greene told the AJC that crews responding to predawn reports of a water main break found “a large break" as well as a slight odor of gas.
Greene said water flowing from the ruptured 36-inch main had gone into the basements of the two homes that were evacuated.
“Watershed Management and Atlanta Gas are on the scene,” Greene said. “Hopefully, they can get their water cut off, the gas controlled, make the repairs and not displace these residents any longer than we have to.”
Resident Elaine Farmer said the pipe started breaking around 4 a.m. and "went full blast" an hour later. The water undermined the road, opening a "big old hole you could fit half my house down in," said Farmer, adding that her house has seven rooms.
Atlanta Gas Light spokeswoman Tami Gerke told the AJC just before noon Wednesday that concrete from the sinkhole fell and cut two half-inch gas supply lines.
This wasn't the first water pipe burst on Parkhill Drive.
Tens of thousands of DeKalb County residents were inconvenienced by a boil water advisory just after Christmas in 2006 when the main on Parkhill broke, flooding at least one family out of their home.
Back then, residents said they'd already endured several previous breaks. This time, the rupture occurred while the county was in the midst of replacing the aging pipes.
"The pipes are just absolutely too old," Farmer said.
DeKalb officials said Wednesday afternoon that the repair work would not interrupt water service, but they said Parkhill Drive would remain closed until Thursday.
Staff photographer John Spink contributed to this article.
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