Water main break discolors Ala Wai flow

About a dozen homes near Lime Street in McCully lost water service Wednesday after a break in an 8-inch water main, a Board of Water Supply spokesman said.

The leaking water picked up sediment as it washed into a storm drain leading to the Ala Wai Canal. A milky gray flow could be seen in the canal although filters kept debris from the storm drain.

A crew, which arrived at 3:26 p.m., was expected to have the leak repaired and service restored by midnight Wednesday, said spokesman Kurt Tsue. A water wagon was set up in the area.

The fire department sent in a hazardous materials team that determined the gray water in the canal came from the main break.

Tsue said an underground leak in an adjacent water main Oct. 4 sent a flow into the Ala Wai through the same drain, causing a similar discoloration.