A 12-inch water line break resulted in the first day of classes being cancelled at Henryetta Wednesday. According to city crews, the break happened around 7 p.m. Tuesday night and quickly emptied the water tower on Third Street.
"We had about two feet of water left in the water tower within a matter of a couple of hours," said Henryetta public works director Ron Casey. He said the water plant was able to increase output to maintain the level but he was afraid that increased use at the schools would drain the system.
The break happened at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ash just east of the US 75 and 266 junction. A "T" fitting separated from the line. That forced water department workers to dig through the night first breaking through a thick concrete casing around the pipes. Once through with that, they had to install two new sections of pipe and several fittings. After they joined those lines, another leak was discovered. The original line was said to be over 50 years old.