WATER MAIN BREAKS PLAGUE CITY CREWS

THREE WATER MAIN BREAKS AROUND SIOUX CITY OVERNIGHT CAUSED PROPERTY DAMAGE AND TRAFFIC DETOURS THIS MORNING AND HAVE KEPT CITY REPAIR CREWS BUSY.

THE ORPHEUM THEATER AND SIOUX CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY SUSTAINED DAMAGE IN THEIR BASEMENTS DUE A BREAK IN THE 500 BLOCK OF PIERCE STREET. THAT BREAK OCCURRED JUST AFTER 2AM.

DI GRAY FOUND A MESS AND NEARLY 4 INCHES OF WATER IN THE THEATER BASEMENT WHEN SHE CAME TO WORK THURSDAY MORNING:

THE WILBUR AALFS LIBRARY SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE CARPETING IN THE BASEMENT. THE LIBRARY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND DIRECTOR BETSY THOMPSON SAYS CLEANUP WAS TAKING PLACE.

ANOTHER WATER MAIN BROKE AT NEARLY THE SAME TIME IN THE 400 BLOCK OF PERRY STREET NEAR THE WEST END OF DOWNTOWN, AND A THIRD WATER MAIN BREAK CAUSED PART OF HIGHWAY 75 NORTH AT 6TH STREET TO COLLAPSE LATE THURSDAY NIGHT.

THAT CAUSED TRAFFIC ON HIGHWAY 75 NORTH TO BE DETOURED INTO THE LEFT TURN LANE, SLOWING DOWN THE MORNING COMMUTE.

CITY UNDERGROUND UTILITIES FIELD SUPERVISOR TIM HIGGINS SAYS 15 TO 20 MAINS HAVE BROKEN IN TOWN SINCE JUNE 1ST. HE SAYS THE DROUGHT HAS CAUSED DRY GROUND TO SHIFT ABNORMALLY IN SOME LOCATIONS. HIGGINS SAYS INCREASED USE OF WATER BY RESIDENTS MAY HAVE PUT A STRAIN ON SOME OF THE MAINS, WHICH ARE UP TO A HUNDRED YEARS OLD IN SOME LOCATIONS.