Broken pipe shuts down water for residences, businesses

Sun staff

Published Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 | 8 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011 | 9:03 p.m.

Between 1,200 and 1,500 homes and 50 to 100 businesses were without water for hours Saturday in the northeast valley after a pipe broke that afternoon, the Las Vegas Valley Water District reported.

Originally expected to leave customers without water until 6 a.m. Sunday, workers were able to isolate the line break, which led to a fire hydrant on Sahara Avenue 80 feet east of Nellis Boulevard, and restore water by 9 p.m.

"The work caused lane restrictions on westbound Sahara," district spokesman Roger Buehrer said.

The water leak, caused by a failure in a pipeline about 50 years old, occurred in a mile-long stretch along Nellis, between Sahara and Charleston Boulevard, Buehrer said.

"It doesn't happen very often. It's rare, but every time is too often," said Roger Buehrer, a district spokesman.

The Water District shut off service to make repairs at 4:30 p.m.