Water situation improving for residents of Clayton County

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Families without water in Clayton County received some encouraging news Thursday morning.

The Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) held a press conference to let residents know that the situation is starting to improve. The agency’s general manager, Bernard Franks, said water service had returned to “most if not all of our customers.”

“Yes, the pressure will be a little lower right now, but it’s continuing to increase as we speak,” said Bernard Franks, general manager at CCWA

LIST: Information on boil water advisories, busted pipes and water distribution in metro Atlanta

According to Franks, CCWA received more than 6,000 calls from customers experiencing disruptions, caused by burst pipes as the region grappled with subfreezing temperatures over the holiday weekend. The agency issued a boil advisory on Dec. 25.

“Our water pipes did not freeze, not Clayton County Water pipe infrastructure,” said Franks. “It was more so on the side of our customers, commercial or residential. There were leaks coming out of people’s homes and apartments with no one there to turn them off, so you can imagine the impact on our system.”

The water shortage wreaked havoc across the county. Several government buildings and schools were damaged including Adamson Middle, where there’s still concern about the gym floor. On Wednesday, firefighters struggled to put out an apartment fire due to low water pressure in fire hydrants.

“We’re still scouting the areas and working with the Water Authority to determine where the pressure has increased,” said Laura Richardson, Chief of staff for Clayton County Fire & EMS.

MORE COLD WEATHER STORIES

Toddy Phillips is the general manager at Family Fresh Produce in Forest Park where production has been at a standstill since Monday.

“We’ve got 90 plus employees out of work and hundreds of businesses we service across the Southeast that we haven’t been able to provide product for,” he said.

As crews work to restore full pressure and lift the boil order, Franks offered one possible preventative measure the next time temperatures dip.

“We would like for our commercial properties to have someone in the building, even during the holiday because you’ve got to have eyes on it,” he said.

As of Thursday afternoon, seven apartment complexes, mostly in the northern half of the county, had no water. However, Franks said the property owners are responsible for fixing the leaks. They include:

- PineView Apartments – 985 Mt. Zion Road, Morrow

- Legacy at Riverdale – 6603 Church St., Riverdale

- Arrowhead Townhomes – 330 Arrowhead Blvd., Jonesboro

- Lakeside Townhomes – 5577 Riverdale Road, Atlanta

- Enclave Apartments – Ft. Gillem

- Village on Riverwalk – 5329 Riverwalk Lane, College Park

The county offered its recreation centers for anyone needing to take a shower. For the latest updates, click here.

Copyright 2022 WANF. All rights reserved.