Clairmont Road main break: Boil water advisory issued to over 20,000 DeKalb County residents

BROOKHAVEN, Ga. – A main break along Clairmont Road in Brookhaven has left 20,000 people under a boil water advisory so far.

The backstory:

The significant water main break occurred along Clairmont Road in Brookhaven and affected approximately 8,800 households and over 20,000 residents in the Toco Hills area and nearby neighborhoods. The breach happened between Manville Drive and Dresden Drive and blocked part of the busy road. The 30-inch cast iron pipe, installed in 1941, failed due to its age, leading to significant service disruptions.

What we know:

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management has been working to repair the damaged pipe since Sunday evening. While repairs are taking place, many residents and businesses are experiencing low or no water pressure.

Crews have reported difficulty shutting off water to the area to complete the repairs.

Tuesday morning, the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management issued a boil water advisory for the area bounded by Moreland Avenue to the east, Candler Street and Clairmont Avenue to the west, Mason Mill to the south and Hosea Williams to the north.

Officials say the water break caused a small portion of the system to briefly drop below a 20 PSI threshold, triggering the advisory. Customers should run their faucets to clear internal plumbing.

The county distributes water to affected residents at five fire stations and one gas station:

• Fire Station 1 – 1670 Clifton Rd.
• Fire Station 3 – 24 N. Clarendon Ave.
• Fire Station 7 – 1712 Columbia Dr.
• Fire Station 9 – 3858 N. Druid Hills Rd.
• Fire Station 20 – 2919 Warren Rd.
• RaceTrac – 3630 Clairmont Rd.

What we don’t know:

Officials have not given a timeline for when the boil water advisory might be lifted or when the main break will be fully repaired.

Emory University, CDC affected by water main break

What’s next:

DeKalb County is urging residents to conserve water until the situation is resolved. A precautionary boil water advisory may be issued and residents should prepare to boil water intended for consumption until further notice. Meanwhile, bottled water is being distributed at several locations, including Fire Stations 1, 3, 7, 9 and 20, as well as RaceTrac on Clairmont Road, with availability from

Emory University officials say they believe the campus will soon be without water and could last for several hours. The university sent a statement that reads in part:

“While Emory evaluates the situation and takes steps to mitigate campus concerns related to the outage, we plan to make drinking water available to our students and other members of our community who are on campus. We will provide additional information on how bottled water will be distributed when these details are available and will provide updates as information becomes available from the county.”

What they say:

The DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management has acknowledged the age of the infrastructure as a contributing factor to the breach. They are actively working to resolve the issue and restore normal water supply to the affected areas.

Residents experiencing water service issues or needing additional information are encouraged to contact the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management.

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