16-inch water main breaks along North Shore

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

A broken water main on Kamehameha Highway disrupted water supply and slowed traffic yesterday on the North Shore.

The main was repaired and water pressure was being restored by 5 p.m. yesterday.

The break could have affected residents from Hale'iwa Town to the Turtle Bay Hilton, water supply officials said. The number of customers without water was unknown, but water wagons were available in the area to households without water.

A Turtle Bay Hilton manager said the hotel did not experience a loss of water.

Officials said complaints were minimal.

Residents were asked to conserve water yesterday, using it only for drinking and essential hygiene, said Tracy Burgo, a Board of Water Supply spokeswoman.

The problem arose when a 16-inch water main broke off Kamehameha Highway, between Joseph P. Leong Highway and Kawailoa Drive.

According to police, the break caused a 7-foot wide hole to form in the road at about 1:45 a.m. yesterday.

Board of Water Supply crews were called to the scene, and special duty police officers were sent out to direct traffic around the hole.

Burgo said the hole was near the side of the road, which kept traffic backups to a minimum.

The water crews worked throughout the day to fix the main, and started to restore water at about 5 p.m., she said.

Because the main supplied reservoirs in the area, restoring water to full pressure took at least two hours. Crews worked into the night to complete the repairs.

Reach Karen Blakeman at 525-2430 or kblakeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.