A water main break near Ko Olina that was being repaired yesterday affected traffic and water use along the Wai'anae Coast and caused heavier-than-normal sales eight miles away at Tamura Supermarket.

Repairs to the 24-inch main were completed about 6 p.m., but road repairs were continuing. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply anticipated that all lanes would be reopened before rush hour this morning.

Water was reported shooting out of the ground about 1 p.m. Sunday from a mystery break in the water main, said Moani Wright-Van Alst, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Board of Water Supply.

"We don't know what caused it," she said. "There was quite a bit of water coming out of the road, though."

The repairs required busy Farrington Highway to be contra-flowed as repair work continued overnight and yesterday.

No one lost water service and there was still water available in tanks and reservoirs. But water supply officials earlier in the day asked people to use water only for cooking and hygiene because the main represents the primary source for water to get into the area, Wright-Van Alst said.

"No residents are without water," she said."

With traffic congested around the repair work, people along the Wai'anae Coast apparently chose to stay in or around home and buy groceries at Tamura Supermarket, which sits "in the heart of Wai'anae," president Cliff Tamura said.

"It got really busy after the main break," Tamura said. "It was an unusual day. People had a lot of family over for the (Veterans Day) holiday. We're thinking that the customers said, since they couldn't get out of Wai'anae, might as well stay back."

No items, such as water or ice, were in particular demand, Tamura said. "It was just unusually busy," he said.

The break did not affect operations at the nearby JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, spokeswoman Noreen Kam said.

"Part of the resort's initiative is to conserve water anyway," Kam said. "So they haven't felt any impact."