Water main breaks, cutting off some JC residents

A 12-inch water pipe broke Sunday morning causing some Jefferson City residents and businesses to be without water for several hours.

Officials from Missouri American Water said around 10:15 a.m., the 300 block of Lafayette Street, between East McCarty Street and East High Street, was closed as crews worked to repair the break.

It appeared the break was centered near an office building at 314 Lafayette St.

The cause for the break was not known, however, water company officials said with little rain the past several weeks the soil easily shifts and that can lead to pipes breaking.

Workers diverted water from other parts of the system to get most customers back on by early afternoon, with the exception of those directly in the area where the break occurred. Those customers had their service restored by early evening.

Some downtown businesses were affected, including restaurants which had to serve patrons bottled water and drinks until their water service was restored.