DECATUR, GA—Chaos ensued in DeKalb County as a major water main break wreaked havoc on McLendon Drive, resulting in the shutdown of all Decatur city schools and widespread water outages Friday morning. According to FOX 5 Atlanta, DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management crews are on site, attempting to grasp the full extent of the damage on the 800 block of the crumbled roadway. Residents and local businesses were left with little to no water pressure, while drivers face detours and delays around the area of the work.
City Schools of Decatur officials made the decision to cancel Friday’s school sessions, citing inadequate water pressure that could further decline due to a significant rupture, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta. "Only two schools currently have pressure, and it is expected that this pressure may also decrease due to the magnitude of the water main break," the school system stated on its website. A scramble for parents to pick up their children ensued as after-school programs and sports also came to a halt.
The disruption extended to the DeKalb School of the Arts, prompting an "evacuation" of students to Columbia High School, with normal dismissal planned for later in the afternoon. Other schools such as Avondale Elementary, DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts, McClendon Elementary, and Robert Shaw Elementary were temporarily relocated to different facilities within the DeKalb County School District. This response was communicated by Atlanta News First and affirmed by the district in emails to parents.
Further implications of the break were felt at the Global Academy, where discolored water led to the shutdown of water fountains; students were instead provided with bottled water. MARTA also reported interruptions to Blue Line restrooms, announcing restoration of water and reopening of facilities shortly after the incident. No details surrounding the cause of the water main break or a timeline for full restoration were immediately available.
