Residents frustrated with communication during DeKalb main break

Neighbors say they didn't know about the boil water advisory until it was too late.

SCOTTDALE, Ga. — UPDATE: DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management crews said they have restored water service to customers on McLendon Drive. This happened at 3 a.m. on Sunday after repairing a broken water main.

About 15,000 residents in DeKalb County remain under a boil water advisory.

This comes after Friday's water main break shut down water for several neighborhoods. McLendon Drive was still blocked as of late Saturday.

Residents say they're not only disappointed to have gone without water for roughly six hours but also with the lack of communication from the county.

Steven Lambert lives five minutes from McLendon, in Scottdale.

"I usually get up around 4, 4:30 in the morning," Lambert said. "And when I got up, and that morning, I made my coffee. And there was water."

Lambert described when he noticed something was wrong.

"Around 6 o'clock, I got in the shower. And there was no water," Lambert said.

Lambert couldn't shower before going to work.

"No drips or anything. It was like it was completely cut off," Lambert said. "So, I texted my neighbor."

As it turned out, Lambert's neighbor Angie Griffin didn't have water either.

"They also closed my daughter's preschool," Griffin said. "So, we had just dropped her off and had to pick her back up."

Griffin said she tried to call DeKalb County but was on hold for over half an hour.

Several hours had passed before Lambert knew a water main break was behind the shutdown.

"It's been kind of typical here," Lambert said. "In the past year, probably, at least, four or five times that the water has just been cut off, no notice."

Other neighbors had to deal with power outages when a large tree fell on a powerline Friday, near the break. Then, later that night, DeKalb Watershed issued a boil water advisory for part of the county. Lambert said he had no idea until 11Alive's Tresia Bowles told him.

"I have not been boiling," Lambert said.

Griffin said she didn't find out until it was too late.

"We did bathe our daughter in it last night," Griffin said. "We've all been brushing our teeth because we were not aware."

Lambert said he showered at his job's gym. Griffin improvised at home. She said people were rushing to buy water.

"I actually brought my daughter to the store. And there was just a huge run on bottled water," Griffin said.

Lambert and Griffin both say they were disappointed in the county's communication.

"I don't know why posts are being communicated on Facebook and no other venue," Griffin said. "You know, there are a lot of residents who maybe don't have a Facebook, let alone a computer?"

She hopes there's more of a heads-up next time.

"I just think we need a more comprehensive effort. And we need to be more updated moving forward," Griffin said.

DeKalb County Watershed's last update was Friday night. It said crews have begun repairs, and a boil water advisory is active until further notice.