Boil-Water Advisory Mostly Lifted After Pipe Break

The Kerr Lake Regional Water System canceled the alert for customers in Vance, Franklin and Warren counties, including Kittrell, Louisburg, Norlina, Oxford, Stovall and Warrenton at 6 p.m. Friday.

All test results have shown no adverse health effects from the line breakage, and consumption should be safe, officials said. Low pressure and the line break had increased the possibility that back siphonage might introduice bacteria into the water system, public-utilities officials said.

A boil-water alert remains in effect for some customers in Henderson until 4 p.m. Saturday. It covers the Booth, Winder, West Avenue, Clark Street, Harriett and Country Home Road area.

All Warren County public schools closed Friday. Vance County schools operated on a two-hour delay.

Officials said a 14-inch pipe near the intersection of Booth and Flint streets burst Thursday morning, emptying two 750,000-gallon tanks in an hour. The water main break left 17,000 customers dry and the problem spilled into four other counties on the Henderson water system.

Revlon, Oxford's biggest plant, cut off several production lines and businesses were advised to conserve water. Several area school systems were forced to dismiss early.

“We were trying to do everything we could just to get drinks out,” said Jones. “We had customers sitting in the dining room. We could’t get them tea. We could’t get them drinks.”

Officials said the water line was laid in the 1950s. They did not know Thursday  whether age was a factor in the pipe's rupture, they said.