For the third time in two months, a water main has broken near downtown Elkhart. This time City Hall had to close for the day and the courthouse lost water.
Around 11 a.m. Thursday, city spokeswoman Corinne Straight said city crews discovered a water main had broken on 2nd Street, north of Marion Street.
Elkhart County Courts Administrator Russ Maxwell said county commissioners decided not to close the courthouse but some court employees were sent elsewhere to work, and signs were posted saying the building had no water. Some court hearings had to be postponed.
Straight said City Hall regained its water by 2 p.m. and the common council still planned to hold its 6 p.m. meeting, with plans to offer bottled water as a precaution. The city issued a boil order for people living in the area. Straight expected the boil order to run through Saturday night.
Similar breaks happened in that part of the city in late August and two weeks ago. Each time, the city has advised residents and businesses to boil water for three minutes before using it. That’s a precautionary measure because unknown contaminants can enter the pipe once it ruptures.
Straight said modernizing the city’s aging water pipes is a top priority for Mayor Rod Roberson.
"We've been talking about it for quite a long time and that's why we've launched the Aspire Plan here in Elkhart, because our infrastructure in the city of Elkhart, along with every other city in the country, is aging," Straight said.
She said the boil order would remain in effect until the water tests safe to drink twice.
