Water Leak Backs Up Traffic on Clairmont

DeKalb County began fixing a leak on a 2-inch water line serving a nearby dry cleaners on Clairmont Road on Tuesday afternoon, a county official said.

The crew was putting a valve on the line to temporarily stop the leak until a final repair can be made, said Burke Brennan, county spokesman.

Traffic slowed to a crawl on the street near Emory University's Clairmont campus during the lunch rush as bottle-neckers rolled past the work site. That work continued into the evening, jamming up Clairmont through the typically congested after-work rush hour as well. 

The county's problems with its aging water and sewer system have been a lately. DeKalb County's Board of Commissioners approved a water and sewage rate hike earlier this month after the county entered into a consent decree to stop sewage spills.

The cost of compliance with the federal Environmental Protection Agency will total about $700 million, the county estimated.