ATLANTA — A stretch of Peachtree Road in Buckhead is back open after crews spent Thursday night and Friday morning replacing a century-old water main.
The break, near Colonial Homes Drive, sent a fountain of water high into the air and flooded the roadway.
Many homes and business nearby lost water service, but it was restored around 7 a.m. Friday.
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An employee of a high-rise apartment complex near the water main break, was glad to have water back.
“A lot of residents were affected but now everything is good. It looked literally like a river down on Peachtree Road,” leasing manager Kiah Boss told Channel 2′s Tom Regan.
The Atlanta Department of Watershed Management told Channel 2 Action News that the water main that broke was cast iron and installed in 1917.
“It’s a 108-year-old pipe so it’s been through a series of repairs and fluctuations of weather. It’s outlasted its’ life cycle so it failed,” said Atlanta Department of Watershed Commissioner Al Wiggins.
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The city has experienced 56 broken water pipes during the recent spell of snow, ice and freezing temperatures.
“We are not satisfied that we are experiencing main break, but we are proud that it’s become a collective effort to fix them.” said Wiggins.
It’s estimated that replacing Atlanta’s aging water pipes could run into the billions of dollars.
Mayor Andre Dickens has said he will seek federal funds to make improvements in the city’s water system.
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