Atlanta issues boil water advisory after treatment plant power failure

Atlanta’s Department of Watershed Management issued a boil water advisory Friday for residents and businesses in downtown and in neighborhoods from Vine City to Grant Park.

The department said the advisory was prompted by an internal power failure at the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant and was issued “out of an abundance of caution.” Power has since been restored in the plant, officials said in an update just after 11:30 a.m.

Officials did not give a specific timeline for when the advisory would be lifted, but said it would remain in place until the completion of sampling protocols.

A map of the impacted areas shows the alert includes downtown as well as surrounding neighborhoods. Mechanicsville, parts of Inman Park, Peoplestown and Pittsburgh are within the range of the advisory.

Residents and businesses who have experienced outages or low pressure should boil water for at least a minute past a “rolling boil.” Officials also encouraged people in the area to drink bottled water until the advisory is lifted.

A spokesperson for the watershed department did not immediately respond to questions from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the cause of the power failure.

— This is a developing story. Check back for updates.