Update as of 12:05 p.m. on April 24: The water main has been repaired, and water service has been restored. Here is the latest announcement from DeKalb County. 

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) crews and contractors have completed repairs to a 42-inch-diameter water main on McLendon Drive.

Water service has been restored to the area.

As service is restored, customers in the affected area may experience brown water and are encouraged to run the faucets inside and outside their homes/businesses to clear the internal plumbing.

For more information, contact the DeKalb County Watershed Department at [email protected] or 770-270-6243.

Here is our earlier story: 

DeKalb County, GA — Dozens of residents affected by a water main break on McLendon Drive were told their water would return sometime on Wednesday, April 24.

“The water is slowly filling the pipe to allow air to purge.  Homes should see water flow momentarily,” DeKalb Watershed Interim Director David Hayes said.

Water has been out for an unknown number of homes since Sunday evening. The county Watershed Department does not have a monitoring system to determine how many homes were affected and depends on users to report outages. The county estimated that 20 homes were affected initially, but the number is likely far higher. Residents calling Watershed were not told that this information should be provided to emergency dispatchers and were instead told to call dispatchers for updates about the repairs.

The main break occurred because some homes were illegally connected to the 42-inch main on McLendon decades ago. Once water is restored, the county is planning to install a smaller 6-inch main and connect those homes to that main to prevent future disruptions and reduce strain on the system.

The main is old and one of many pieces of the county’s crumbling water infrastructure. The county has been working for years to replace the older mains.

Here’s the latest announcement from DeKalb County concerning the break on McLendon Drive:

DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) crews and contractors are finalizing repairs to a 42-inch-diameter water main on McLendon Drive.

The new pipe has been installed and the crews are making final preparations to restore water.

Traffic control specialists are directing traffic near the repair site where a lane is closed.

DeKalb County will continue to provide updates during the repair.

Residents experiencing low to no water pressure are encouraged to contact the DeKalb County Watershed Department at [email protected] or 770-270-6243.

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