ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — An 8-inch water main break on McKinny Street in Burlington created a tough morning when they woke up to no water or extremely low water pressure.
At this time, they don't know how many people are impacted. Repairs are expected to be done this afternoon.
Alamance-Burlington School System (ABSS) said that a water main break at Career and Technical Center (CTEC) and Andrews Elementary School caused classes to be canceled.
Roughly 1,000 students were impacted with 550 of those being Andrews Elementary students, the district said.
CTEC students en route will be returned to their home schools.
Students at Andrews will be sent home for the day after discovering the water main break is more severe than originally thought.
Dismissal will begin at 9 a.m.
Message to families:
We have just discovered that the water main break is more severe than originally thought. Students at Andrews Elementary will need to be sent home for the rest of the day. Dismissal will begin at 9:00 AM.
Why did the water main break?
WFMY News 2's Hannah Jeffries talked to the Water Resource Director to find out more about the water main breaks that continuously affected the city of Burlington.
Between St. Andrews Elementary School and the Career and Technical Education Center, nearly 1,000 students' school day was cut short. The schools were just one of many disrupted due to water issues.
Crews were hard at work this morning fixing a main water break. They were forced to turn off the water on McKinney Street between Buckingham and Avalon Roads following an early morning water break.
Water Resources Director, Bob Patterson said last month alone Burlington saw 24 breaks.
“When we go from freezing to warm back to freezing the ground starts to move and that can cause things to shift, and we experience more breaks," Patterson explained.
The break also disrupted morning operations at Burlington Animal Services.
When staff arrived, they found no water, forcing them to figure out how to clean kennels and give water to dozens of cats and dogs.
"We did run out and purchase all of the water so that we could use it for some spot cleaning, but mainly to make sure all of the pets have plenty of fresh clean water to drink," Laura Michel with Burlington Animal Services said.
The water main break was fixed around noon but put staff behind on cleaning, However, normal operations continued later this afternoon at the animal shelter.
As for the schools, students will be back in class on a regular schedule tomorrow.