At approximately 11:20 a.m. on Thursday, February 28, workers were attempting to make a service tap on First Street when the water main line broke.
Thousands of gallons of water rushed down First Street closing off Walnut Street intersection. Water levels at the main water tank started dropping rapidly. City workers immediately utilized valves to isolate the area of the break. However, due to the complexity of the distribution system, city workers had to turn off the entire water system to stop the flow of water.
City management immediately notified the 9-1-1 center, OEM Director, and all water customers. The West Virginia Bureau for Public Health was notified of the situation. They requested that the system be placed on a boil water advisory until proper testing could be completed. Notifications were sent to all local media, all water customers, and hand delivered to all food establishments. Water service was restored around 5:30 p.m. City workers continued to flush hydrants throughout the evening to help clear up the sediment in the water. The boil water notice has now been canceled.
