Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union-
An 8-inch water main burst in a construction accident on Ninth Street in Winona Lake Thursday afternoon, leaving at least one-third of the town without water for four hours, according to public works superintendent Pete O'Connell. Surround Sprinkler Systems Co. was in the process of boring under Ninth near Park Avenue to access a water line in Hillside Park. They were contracted by Grace College. 'They didn't contact the city to locate the water main,' O'Connell said of the incident. He estimated more than 150,000 gallons of water was lost, undermining the street structure during the process. Indiana-American Water Co. handles the town's water service. 'We took precautions to make sure everything was flushed out and sanitized,' said Joe Loughmiller, a water company spokesman, 'No boil order was issued.' Repairs to the line, which was breached at about 1:30 p.m., took about four hours. The street was passable a couple of hours later. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union
