The Clayton County Water Authority has lifted the boil water order for customers who had low water pressure this week. People should expect changes in pressure while crews finish bringing the system pressure back to normal. If you see discolored water, let the cold water tap run for 15 minutes to flush out any sediment in the line.
CCWA says all test samples “came back negative of any harmful bacteria, and the water has been deemed safe to drink and use.”
Crews have repaired 21 water main breaks in the past week.
“We appreciate our customers’ assistance with reporting leaks on the customer side as we work to identify and repair leaks on our side of the system,” CCWA General Manager H. Bernard Franks said in a press release Friday. “Working together on this has been a tremendous help in getting our system restored.”
CCWA’s Call Center staff and Social Media Care Team, as well as maintenance staff, will keep working through this holiday weekend.
Why did we have to boil water?
CCWA issued a boil water advisory on December 25 so people wouldn’t get sick. When pressure drops below 20 psi, CCWA is required to notify the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and issue a boil water advisory.
How did the outage happen?
After extremely low temperatures froze the ground and pushed pipes out of place in Clayton County, water mains broke. Many businesses and homes where pipes froze spewed water for days while people were away. The broken CCWA mains and the leaky plumbing on private and institutional property combined to drop water pressure systemwide. Forest Park, Ellenwood, and Riverdale were hit hardest.
What if I still don’t have water pressure?
Residential customers (not people who rent apartments or who live in mobile home parks) should look for any leaks on their side of the water meter. Open the water meter box lid and check to see if the meter dial is spinning.
Look for water in these places:
- in the yard between the meter and your house
- around the outside of your house
- inside your house
If you find a leak on your side of the water meter, either turn off your shutoff valve or call CCWA to have them shut off your water. Then, call a professional plumber. You can check a plumber’s license here:
What if there’s a leak on the other side of the meter?
If there is a leak on the street side of your water meter, that’s a leak in CCWA’s system and you need to call 770-960-5200 and let them know about it. That way, CCWA can send someone out to check the leak and fix it.
