Water Line Repaired, Section of Cary Parkway Closed

The town has lifted the emergency, mandatory ban on outdoor water use for all customers on the Cary-Apex water system. That includes people living in Cary, Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, RDU and RTP.

Crews have repaired the broken line on the Cary Parkway, but the road is still closed fromLake Pine to Tarbert Drives. It could re-open, partially, on Wednesday. Drivers should avoid the area until then.

Until the city can test the water supply, anyone on the Cary-Apex water system who has experienced a loss of water pressure should bring tap water to a rolling boil before using it for drinking or cooking.

The water loss associated with the break was described by officials as "tremendous." More than two million gallons of water poured out of a ruptured 8-inch pipe. The 10-year-old pipe is thought to have broken due to its age.

Cary had opened all valves to bring in supplemental water from Raleigh and Durham to lessen the effects, but it is no longer pumping that water in.

The break occurred in the vicinity of one of the largest water mains in town, and all of the large water storage tanks from the center of Cary southward saw a serious drop in water levels.

Cary residents with water pressure problems should call469-4090; they shouldnotcall 911.

Officials say the break should not have a long-term effect on the town's water supply, which comes from Jordan Lake. The water, they said, went into the ground, as if it had rained.

The water main break may have also caused fish to die in Cary. A fish kill was discovered in a pond on Sunday around the same time as the leak.

The sudden rush of cold water from the leak, or high chlorine levelsMAYbe to blame for the fish kill.

TheState Division of Water Qualityis investigating.

Wake County has no single municipal water system. There are more than a dozen smaller systems serving people without wells.

Based on using 6,000 gallons of water, Zebulon is the most expensive at $26 a month.

Cary is in the middle of the group at $19.38 a month. The least expensive is Raleigh where the same 6,000 gallons costs $9.91.