News that the city’s water supply was safe  following a water main break came early Friday morning, after two days that involved a lot of bottled and boiled water for many area residents, schools and businesses.
    The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued a boil advisory for the City of Cresco after city officials reported a water line rupture that occurred sometime overnight on Sept. 23-24. Several area businesses and schools were forced to close for the day and city residents were advised not to drink water straight from the tap.
    Due to the potential for bacterial contamination, the DNR recommended that all city water be boiled before using for drinking or cooking, or that an alternative source be used. Consumers were advised that boiled or bottled water should be used for everything from drinking and making ice to brushing teeth, washing dishes and preparing food.
    No problems had been detected in the water at the time the DNR issued the boil advisory.
    “They’re just taking precautions,” Drew Zahasky, assistant supervisor at Cresco Waterworks, told the Times Plain Dealer last week.
    At approximately 5 a.m. Sept. 24, Waterworks Superintendent Tim Courtney noticed there was no water left in the city’s main water tower. The water line break drained the reservoirs and a segment of the distribution system. The city lost 400,000 gallons of water from the tower, according to City Administrator John Lloyd.
    The eight-inch water main, located just north of Masonry Technology, Inc., caused water to empty into the Webster Addition. The main rupture also led to nearly a total loss of water pressure. City residents were without water from about 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Sept. 24, Lloyd said.
    Cresco Waterworks employees isolated and valved off the broken portion of the main. By 9 a.m., the water towers were filled and by 4 p.m. water pressure was back to normal. The water department is repairing the ruptured main this week.
    The city sent 12 water samples to the DNR to be tested for bacterial contamination. Each sample tested safe.
    Lloyd said the city does not know why the water main, which was one of the newest lines placed in the city, broke.
    “Water mains break. It just happens,” he said. “It is an inconvenience,” Lloyd said. “It’s like a tire blowing on your car. You don’t know when it’s going to happen.”
    Typically, main breaks are caused by the ground shifting, he said, and most often a break occurs during the winter’s freeze and thaw cycles.
    “There is nothing that can be effectively done to prevent it from occurring again,” Lloyd said.
    He noted that city departments will meet this week to draw up plans to lessen the impact of any possible future main breaks.
    Howard-Winneshiek schools and NICC – Cresco Center both canceled classes on Sept. 24 because of the water main rupture.
    They both resumed classes the next day. Howard-Winneshiek schools made bottled water available for drinking and chose a lunch menu that did not need water for preparation. Disposable stryrofoam or paper plates and plastic utensils were used for school lunch.
   Several area businesses sent employees home for the day because of the water situation. Due to the water main break, employees at Featherlite and Donaldson were sent home early. Some restaurants, including Sandy’s and Sue-Z-Q’s, decided to close for at least a portion of the day due to the water situation.
    Sue-Z-Q’s owner, Sue Miller, said they reopened after the water was turned back on, but she and her staff had to adjust to the boil advisory by boiling all water they use for cooking and washing hands and dishes. They served meals on disposable dishes and tweaked the menu slightly by not offering certain foods that need to be cooked with large amounts of water, such as mashed potatoes.