Atlanta water system to be restored 5 days after emergency declaration: Officials

The water system in Atlanta, Georgia, will be restored Wednesday morning, five days after the mayor declared a state of emergency over major water main breaks, officials said Tuesday.

City authorities said the Atlanta water system will "return to normal operation" between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to their latest release.

A 30-inch pipe has been installed at the main break location at West Peachtree Steet and 11th Street, according to the city. Steps are being completed to restore water service at the location.

A state of emergency was declared in Atlanta on Saturday evening following two water main breaks, Mayor Andre Dickens announced at a press conference at the time.

The massive disruption was reported Friday evening, resulting in a boil water advisory from the City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management.

We are "working around the clock to bring us safe drinking water in the city of Atlanta," Mayor Dickens said.

"I know it has been a tough and frustrating day for many of you," Dickens said. "We all take this matter very seriously."

Of the two water main breaks, one had been fixed at the time of the presser, and water was currently being restored to those affected by the particular outage. Authorities are waiting for a part to arrive to fix the second main break, and the timeline to fix the break remains uncertain, officials said.

Grady Hospital and Emory University Hospital are accepting patients and are fully operational, having enough water to "keep people safe and healthy," the mayor said.

Earlier on Saturday, prior to one of the water main breaks being repaired, Emory University Hospital Midtown rerouted ambulance traffic to other locations but urgent surgeries were able to continue, a spokesperson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The two major breaks occurred at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Drive, and one at 11th Street NE and West Peachtree Street NE.

The break at Joseph E. Boone Boulevard and James P. Brawley Drive has been fixed, the mayor said. The Department of Watershed Management is building back pressure in the system so that those affected by this outage should be seeing their water restored now or soon, Dickens added.

The city expects to have 100 pallets of water delivered later this evening to disperse to those in need.