MOUNT VERNON — Some travelers, who were out Saturday looking to finish up their holiday shopping, were thrown a slight curve when a water line break shut down Vernonview Drive between Coshocton and Yauger roads for about three hours.
The first calls of the problem came into the Mount Vernon Water Department around 10:15 a.m. Saturday, according to Pam Muralt, administrator of billing and customer service.
Six members of the distribution crew, along with an engineer and representatives of Columbia Gas and underground utilities, responded to the call.
“They come out and locate the lines for us,” Terry Fowler, city utilities assistant foreman, said of the utility representatives needed on the scene. “Anytime we dig we have them come in and look for the lines first.”
Fowler said the break was caused by the ground getting cold and then shifting, causing the line to break.
“The hardest part was getting to [the break],” Fowler said. “There was a lot of shell to get through. Then you have to get the water shut down and wait for the line to drain so we can fix it.”
The crew used a clamp to fix the break and the job was completed by 1:30 p.m. A boil advisory was issued for areas north and south along Vernonview Drive, Muralt said. Coshocton Road businesses were not affected. The advisory has been lifted.
Advisories for more than 50 homes or businesses are issued throughout the local media, Muralt said.
Residents who discover they are without water can also check the city’s Web site at www.mountvernonohio.org for any boil alerts. Information is also available on the water department’s door located at 3 N. Gay St.
Despite cones being set up and signs marking the closure, vehicles slowed as they made the turn, slowing traffic moving east.
