Officials hope to have Brookside water main break fixed by morning

A break in a 12-inch water main has disrupted service to 26 residences and businesses in the Brookside area, Kansas City Water Services reports.

Water spokeswoman Brooke Givens said Thursday afternoon that work crews hope to havwe the problem resolved by Friday morning.

Givens said the leak was inspected after it was reported and it was classified as a medium-sized event. But the situation worsened overnight Wednesday, and the city now considers it an emergency.

Businesses affected include the 7-Eleven on 63rd Street and nearby retail shops.

“We certainly understand it is a hardship for the businesses,” Givens said.

The city has hired a contractor, who was working on the problem at midday Thursday. The address of the break is 401 E. 63rd St.

It was not immediately clear whether the water main break was related to recent frigid temperatures.

There were 53 water line breaks from Jan. 1 to Jan. 14. If that trend continues, there will be 117 breaks in January. That compares with the monthly record of 160 breaks and the 10-year average of 111 breaks in a month.

In all of 2017, there were 745 breaks in Kansas City’s aging water system. That was 40 percent less than the record year of 2012 and 36 percent less than the 10-year average.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Officials hope to have Brookside water main break fixed by morning."