SPANISH FORK -- Students returned to school Thursday as a water main break was repaired and culinary water service to most of the city's residents was restored.
"It's back to normal today," said Julie Pullman, whose water pressure was so low Tuesday and Wednesday she couldn't do laundry or take a shower.Public works crews worked around the clock after the 30-inch line along U.S. 6 burst at 2550 East Tuesday afternoon. The lack of water in restrooms and the fire-extinguishing sprinkler system forced Nebo School District to shut down six schools Wednesday.
Teachers used Wednesday as a preparation day while students treated it like a holiday. Students at Larsen Elementary, Canyon Elementary, Park Elementary, Spanish Fork Middle School, Spanish Fork Junior High and Young Parents High School will make up the missed day Oct. 29, a Friday that had been scheduled as an end-of-term day off.
"Water pressure was back up in all the schools (Thursday)," said Nebo District spokeswoman Francis Larsen. "We were working with the city all through the night."
Larsen said that principals and teachers at the schools spent most of Wednesday morning calling parents to let them know school would not be held and that they helped things get back in order Thursday morning. Most students knew school was open again, and bus routes functioned as usual.
"Our principals and our teachers really stepped up," she said. "We fell right back into the routine very smoothly."
Many parents who work outside their homes were forced to make last-minute arrangements for their children's care Wednesday. Some sent kids to play with neighborhood kids whose parents stayed home.
"They just did homework, chores and played with their friends," Pullman said. "It was like a regular Saturday."
Meanwhile, Spanish Fork officials were concerned about the water break because the line that burst had been installed just 15 years ago. The pipe was supposed to have lasted 50 to 60 years, and officials were worried that other pipes in the city might experience similar problems.
"There is still no final determination on why the 15-year-old pipe broke," said assistant city manager Mary-Clare Maslyn.
Crews spent most of the day Wednesday installing a 10-foot section of new pipe. Between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., they flushed the lines to remove debris and then turned water back on. The break in water service affected residents all over town, but those east of 800 East were hardest hit.
City officials had asked Spanish Fork residents to cut back on indoor water usage as much as possible and refrain from watering lawns or gardens until the line was repaired. For the most part, the emergency measures worked well.
"Because of the efforts of the citizens to cut back, some people were able to have water who otherwise would not have," Maslyn said.