Boil water advisory lifted for north Minneapolis homes affected by water main break

Households and businesses within a six-block area that had their water service disrupted since Monday night will no longer have to boil their water before consuming it, the city announced Wednesday afternoon.

Bacterial testing following a large water main break in north Minneapolis came up clean.

The pipe that cracked is in the 2900 block of 2nd Street N., and is 134 years old, said Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the city's public works director. The breakage affected buildings on 3rd Street N. from Lowry Avenue to 26th Avenue and on 4th Street N. from 29th to 26th avenues.

That isolated area was affected because when the water main broke, it drew down the pressure of a pump station just above it, said Annika Bankston, the city's director of water treatment and distribution services.

While some residents said they perceived no difference in the color of their water, the city warned that people might have excess mineral deposits causing their water to run a rusty yellow.

"We appreciate the patience and resilience of residents who were forced to boil their water for cooking and drinking," said Kelliher. "Losing access to reliable drinking water can be unsettling. I am grateful for the hard work and dedication of the Public Works staff who worked to stabilize a challenging situation."

About 80 homes were affected by the boil advisory, as were the Lowry Towers Minneapolis Public Housing Authority high-rise and several businesses.

After the system is pressurized, crews will commence temporarily patching the street, where the sidewalk, curb and gutter were destroyed. Permanent roadway fixes will come in spring, said Kelliher.

While Kelliher and city officials have said they are searching for the breakage's cause, they note that water pressure fluctuations can cause minor weak spots in an old pipe to break. Cold weather can also contribute.