In Peoplestown, a busted pipe on Haygood Avenue has become the headache that will not quit. Residents say the same problem spot flared up again over the weekend, flooding yards and leaving homes smelling like sewage. This latest failure sent water rushing down Grant Way SE and left some families spending hours on cleanup duty with dehumidifiers humming in the background. For many on the block, Sunday’s break felt less like a surprise and more like the latest round in a years-long pattern of pipe failures that damage property and upend daily life.
In a statement to FOX 5 Atlanta, the Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said crews completed repairs Sunday to a six-inch water main near 162 Haygood Avenue. Officials said the break temporarily disrupted service to about 20 homes and affected two fire hydrants. The department also noted that heavy rainfall over the weekend increased the risk of flooding and said it is assessing conditions along Haygood Avenue while it evaluates the most effective long-term fixes to reduce flooding and upgrade the area’s aging water infrastructure.
Neighbors say that assessment cannot come soon enough. “Fix it, stop it, and get it right,” resident Brenda Heath told reporters. Other residents described intermittent breaks that send streams of water into their yards, make grilling outside impossible, and leave hours-long flooding beneath their homes that brings a sewage smell with it. Hollis Gillespie said the repeated overflows have led to overgrowth and repeated repair jobs. Jessica Sonnenberg told reporters she had hours of water under her house after the latest break and had to run dehumidifiers and air purifiers to cope. These firsthand accounts were gathered during on-the-ground reporting by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Long-term fixes already under construction
According to Urbanize Atlanta, the Custer Avenue Capacity Relief Multi-Benefit Stormwater Vault is designed to hold roughly 20 million gallons of underground stormwater storage. On top, a five-acre greenspace is planned to help capture stormwater and relieve combined-sewer overflows. Water Finance & Management has reported that the vault is part of a broader Department of Watershed Management program, tied to EPA consent-decree work, that aims to detain stormwater and protect low-lying neighborhoods from recurring flooding.
Neighbors want quicker action
Community groups and city staff have briefed residents on the Custer Avenue vault and other resilience efforts, but neighbors say big-ticket projects in the pipeline do not keep the smaller mains in their yards from failing again and again. Per Peoplestown Revitalization Corporation, the neighborhood has been involved in planning and outreach around these initiatives. Even so, residents told reporters they still want a clearer timeline and faster on-the-ground repairs for the pipes that keep bursting under their homes and yards. Until those details are spelled out, homeowners say they will keep shouldering the cost of temporary patches and recurring service interruptions in both time and money.
What comes next
The Department of Watershed Management says it is continuing to assess conditions in the area and weigh long-term solutions, while residents say they plan to keep pressing for a concrete timetable and stronger preventive maintenance. Crews have already handled the immediate break, but neighbors are looking for assurance that “temporary” fixes will not be the city’s go-to response the next time Haygood Avenue’s troubled pipe gives way.
