DeKalb Water Main Break Leaves Residents Without Service: Crews Struggle Without Clear Repair Timeline

• by Arlen Fitzpatrick
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DeKalb County Hit with Major Water Main Break: What Residents Need to Know

If you're living near Covington Road in DeKalb County, odds are you've noticed the water pressure drop—or go dry altogether. The county is wrestling with a serious DeKalb water main break that’s left faucets sputtering and residents frustrated, with no word on when things will return to normal.

The trouble started when a CEI fiber optic contractor accidentally hit not one, but two substantial water mains—one measuring 16 inches and another a massive 36 inches across—while working on infrastructure upgrades. That single error forced DeKalb County's Watershed crews into emergency mode, isolating both mains to halt flooding and prevent wider damage. The price for quick action, however, has been water shutoffs across neighborhoods that rely on these connections.

For families living and working near 33 Covington Road, routine has been thrown out the window. Simple things—flushing toilets, brewing a pot of coffee, or cooking dinner—suddenly became tricky. The county has told everyone in the area to find alternatives for drinking and cooking water. With no estimated repair timeline from officials, people are scrambling to buy bottled water or make arrangements with neighbors in unaffected zones.

It’s not just the water outage causing headaches. Traffic in the repair zone is practically crawling as crews and trucks take up much of the street. Barricades and cones redirect drivers, but the congestion has only been getting worse. Authorities are urging drivers to stay away from Covington Road if they can, warning about backups that could stretch commutes and strand residents stuck in the area.

A Community in Limbo as Crews Work Around the Clock

Behind the scenes, DeKalb’s Watershed Management team is pulling long shifts, racing the clock to get things fixed. The challenge? Cutting into big, aging pipes isn’t a quick job. Every repair step—shutting down the mains, draining the pipes, finding the exact spot of the damage, cutting out broken sections, welding or replacing, and then testing before water can flow again—takes hours. Add in safety checks and the uncertainty of what workers will discover once they break into the ground, and delays start to feel inevitable.

The lack of a clear timeline has only stoked anxiety. Residents, especially those caring for children or the elderly, have been calling the county water department for updates—sometimes by the hour. Officials are sticking to a cautious script, telling people they’re doing all they can, but won’t give a solid date for restoration yet. They’ve posted the [email protected] email and a 770-270-6243 hotline for anyone needing information or with urgent concerns.

Nobody knows exactly how long it will take before water is restored and the roads reopen. For now, people in the area are bracing themselves: refilling coolers, buying packs of bottled water, and hoping the inconvenience doesn’t drag out for days. It's a vivid reminder of just how much modern life depends on infrastructure—and how quickly things can grind to a halt when even one pipe bursts.