CONNEAUT — Two schools that closed Monday because of a massive water line break the night before will remain closed Tuesday while the water system is recharged, officials said.
The leak has been repaired, but Conneaut Middle School and Gateway Elementary School will remain closed to avoid putting strain on the system, said Conneaut City Manager James Hockaday.
“We don’t want a situation where we can’t draw water,” he said.“We will be up and running by Wednesday.” Staff and students at CMS and Gateway Elementary School, both located on the east end of Gateway Avenue, were notified about 5:30 a.m. that classes had been canceled, said Lori Riley, Conneaut Area City Schools superintendent.
Classes took place as usual at Conneaut High School and Lakeshore Primary School, and both those buildings will be open Tuesday, Riley said.
While CMS is home to the school district’s central kitchen, CHS and Lakeshore can prepare food for their students, she said.
Hockaday described the break as “pretty catastrophic.” A fire hydrant linked to a 6-inch water line failed in the area of South Ridge Road.
An alarm sounded about 2 a.m., and crews found the source of the problem about 90 minutes later.
Hundreds of customers south of Interstate 90 were affected by the leak, as well as customers in the vicinity of the I-90 interchange — including the two schools.
A boil advisory is in effect recommending water for consumption be boiled as a precaution.
“The guys still have quite a bit of work ahead of them,” he said.