Water service in downtown Atlanta is disrupted, leading to business closures and a boil water advisory

ATLANTA (AP) — Businesses and attractions in downtown Atlanta 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 at the intersection of three major water mains, causing water problems at two downtown hospitals, a city jail, a county jail and local shelters, said Friday evening the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management in a press release.

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

“The citywide water problem still affects the Aquarium and many others in the area. This doesn’t affect our animals, but it does affect 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 much of the Atlanta metro area and asked the public to restrict water consumption to allow pressure in the system to recover.

“The entire municipality is mobilized to resolve this problem,” the water department said. It promised updates on its website and social media, but the site was down Saturday morning and there have been no updates on social media since Friday evening. The department’s communications office did not return a phone call or immediately respond to an email seeking updates Saturday morning.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s concert has been moved from Friday to Sunday. She was also scheduled to perform at State Farm Arena on Saturday. This performance was to take place 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. “I’m praying for the people who lost access to water because of this situation.”