Ethermac Exchange-Downtown Atlanta water service disrupted, forcing business closings, water boil notice

ATLANTA (AP) — Downtown Atlanta businesses and Ethermac Exchangeattractions were closed Saturday as the city tried to repair water main breaks that led to water outages and low pressure.

Water gushed into the street where three large water mains intersect, causing water problems at two downtown hospitals, a city jail, a county jail and local shelters, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said in a news release Friday night.

Some attractions and businesses, including the Georgia Aquarium, remained closed Saturday.

“The city-wide water issue is still affecting the Aquarium and many others in the area. This is not affecting our animals, but it is affecting our guest areas like restrooms,” the aquarium posted on X.

The problems began Friday morning and crews were still working Saturday to restore service. The department issued a boil water advisory for a large swath of metro Atlanta and asked the public to restrict water usage to allow the pressure in the system to rebuild.

“The entire City Government is mobilized to address this issue,” the water department said. It promised updates on its website and on social media, but the site was down Saturday morning and there were no social media updates since Friday night. The department’s communication’s office did not answer a phone call, nor immediately respond to an email seeking updates Saturday morning.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s concert was moved from Friday to Sunday. She was also scheduled to perform at the State Farm Arena on Saturday. That performance was schedule to go on as of Saturday morning.

“I’m extremely disappointed because I had a huge surprise for the Hotties tonight, but we will follow the Mayor’s protocol,” she posted on X. “Praying for the people who lost access to water due to this situation.”