A water main broke early Wednesday in downtown Chattanooga, shutting off water for the Chattanooga Convention Center and nearby businesses for nearly seven hours before the leak was repaired and water service restored shortly before 2 p.m.
Crews from Tennessee American Water opened hydrants and worked to fix the water main break along 13th Street and Carter Street Wednesday. The water utility issued an emergency alert for the area around the trade center around 7 a.m. Wednesday about the water outage, but utility spokeswoman Daphne Kirksey said the water leak was repaired and water was flowing normally again shortly before 2 p.m.
Water main lines deliver water to customers throughout most of America, but on average a water main breaks somewhere in the country every couple of minutes, Kirksey said.
Mike Shuford, executive director of the Carter Street Corp., which operates the trade center, said the convention complex was still able to maintain its lunch programs for the CBMC (Christian Business Men's Connection) and Chattanooga Tax Practitioners using disposable dinnerware and paper products. But the restrooms were shut down much of the day due to the temporary water cutoff.
Shuford said he considered bringing in portable toilets for the Best of Preps banquet Wednesday night, but water service has now been fully restored by the utility. Shuford said the water outage was the first of its kind to unexpectedly cut off water since the trade center opened in 1986.
The adjacent Marriott Hotel has water storage on its upper floors and was not immediately impacted by the water main break, Shuford said.
With water service restored, Tennessee American Water advises customers in the affected area to watch for water that isn't clear.
"If your water is discolored, run the cold water taps only, at the lowest level of the house for about 3 to 5 minutes until the water runs clear," the company said in a notice to customers.
- Compiled by Dave Flessner