Water Main break closes 4 schools, leaves 4,000 without water

Team coverageFour thousand Ogden homes are still without water tonight because of a water main break last night. The water service is out from 12th Street to the north city limits east of Monroe Boulevard.

The water will probably start flowing sometime tomorrow, but it's probably only going to be water you can use to flush your toilets. Crews have to flush the old pipes out, and drinking water probably won't be available for affected residents until Sunday, and for some residents, Monday. Crews are working to fix the break at the mouth of Ogden Canyon.

Classes have been canceled at Ben Lomond High School, Horace Mann Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary and the Ogden campus of the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind because of the water main break.

Lindsey Hamblin goes to Ben Lomond High School. She says, "There was actually water this morning when I took a shower for school, and then I guess about 7 o'clock it went off. Lindsey's family has been surviving off water bottles all day.

Businesses are also having problems. The owner of The Greenery Restaurant in Ogden Canyon is having to close for the day, taking a loss of $5,000. Perry King says, "We may have to send all of our employees home. We can't run our dishwasher, our toilets won't flush, and it's a nightmare without water."

Another resident, Jane Ferrin, filled up her bathtub with water while she still that had this morning. She says, "You use it for everything, as you can see I haven't been able to do dishes or anything, so it really does, it impacts you."

Some folks are even scooping up snow and melting it on their stoves, so they can flush their toilet.

At the Gardens Assisted Living on 1450 Ninth St., the Red Cross brought some bottled water. Manager Sue Flint says, "We're trying to make the best of a bad situation."

King says, "It's a nightmare without water. So, I don't know what to do."

Officials say a combination of the age of the pipes, installed in the 1930s, and the cold weather caused the break. But Mayor Matthew Godfrey backs away from blaming the age of the pipes. "Actually, some of the older pipes are some of the best. I mean, the materials they used and the way they did it, in some instances, have held up very, very well," he said.

However, Godfrey says the age of the pipes has complicated the process of finding replacement parts. He says the city plans to cut out a section of the pipeline and inspect it to make sure there are not additional problems.

Once again, officials say water won't be available to some Ogden residents until early tomorrow morning.

For a list of locations providing water for Ogden residents, click on the related link.

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