Water main break on Indy’s near northeast side causes outages, triggers boil order

INDIANAPOLIS — A water main break on Thursday morning wreaked havoc on the city’s near east side as streets closed down, water service shut off for thousands and Marion County courts closed early.

Since the break began Thursday morning in the area of 22nd Street and Dr. Andrew J Brown Avenue, it has caused outages, closures and even a boil water advisory for the majority of the east side of Indianapolis.

Officials with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said that Dr. Andrew J Brown Avenue is closed from 22nd to 23rd Streets because of the large amount of water on the roadway. This closure is expected to be in place for the next several hours as Citizens Energy officials respond to the area.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Department estimated that service would be restored in two to four hours.

“IMPD traffic units are currently on scene diverting vehicular traffic,” IMPD officials said in a statement to FOX59/CBS4.

FOX59/CBS4 News crews on scene said that the asphalt in the impacted street is “starting to buckle.”

Citizens reported a large majority of the east side is being affected by water outages due to the break. The outage map can be seen here.

Boil water advisory issued for east side of Indianapolis

Citizens Energy Group issued a precautionary boil water advisory for customers on the east side of Indianapolis because of the water main break near 22nd Street and Dr. Andrew J. Brown Avenue.

The advisory will be in place until noon on Saturday for Citizens customers in the following area:

Northern Bound: Fall Creek Parkway North Drive

Southern Bound: CSX railroad tracks south of Southeastern Avenue

Eastern Bound: Shadeland Avenue to the north of Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington Avenue and Edmondson Street to the south

Western Bound: South Arsenal Avenue and Spruce Street

Below is a map of the affected locations:

Until this advisory is complete, Citizens said that customers should not consume water without boiling it first.

“Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for three minutes and let it cool before using, or use bottled water,” officials said in a news release. “Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes and food preparation.”

Officials said that water can be used for showering, cleaning and flushing without boiling.

“For customers who live in the area where the precautionary boil water advisory now applies and who may have consumed the water earlier today, Citizens wants to stress that this is a precautionary boil water advisory,” the release said. “If you consumed the water prior to the release of the advisory, we have no indications that your water quality was unsafe. However, it is important to boil water used for consumption until this precautionary boil water advisory is lifted.”

Officials with Citizens state that they are working to isolate the distribution system main that failed and restore service to impacted customers.

“When water is restored to your home or business, please boil the tap water or use alternative sources of water for drinking and cooking until this boil water advisory is lifted,” the release said. “Customers in the designated area of this boil water advisory area may have water restored sooner but are advised to boil their water until Citizens lifts this precautionary boil water advisory.”

For more information, individuals are asked to contact Citizens’ Contact Center at (317) 924-3311 or click here.

Water main break shuts down health clinics, courts, health department services

Officials with the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said that the county’s circuit and superior courts will be closed on Thursday because of the water main break and health concerns at the Community Justice Center. All hearings scheduled for Thursday, including remote and in-person hearings, will be rescheduled.

The Marion County Health Department said several of its services and buildings were closed due to the water main break. These included:

• Northeast District Health office, 6042 E. 21^st Street, Indianapolis
• Mosquito and Rodent Control, 4001 E. 21^st Street, Indianapolis
• Rockville WIC office, 7830 Rockville Road, Indianapolis

Two Eskenazi Health clinics also closed due to the water main break. The affected clinics are:

• Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek, 3443 E. 38^th Street, Indianapolis
• Eskenazi Health Center Grande, 6002 E. 38^th Street, Indianapolis

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.