Maries County R-2 School District canceled classes Friday, Aug. 23, following an early morning water main break on the intersection of Linn Avenue and Third Street, just down from the Belle campus.

Public Works Director Nathan Abel said the call was taken care of in about three-and-a-half hours.

“I got the call at 5:30 a.m. and we were probably there and workin’ on it by 6 a.m.,” Abel said. “Water pressure was restored at 7:30 a.m. and then we were done cleaning up and patching the holes at 9 a.m.”

Abel said the water “just blew a hole in the pipe” because they are “old lines.” However, they never had to shut the water off completely, so no boil order was necessary.

“We squeezed the valves down to lower the pressure, but never turned it off,” Abel said. “It ran the whole time.”

They were able to repair the busted pipe with a repair clamp.

“It’s pretty standard,” Abel said. “We done it a thousand times and no different from any other time.”

Abel said the schools had water, but the pressure was low enough that had students been there trying to flush toilet stools, the school may have had a problem the first part of the morning.

According to the Maries R-2 School Calendar, students will make up the Aug. 23 missed school day next May 12, taking one of the six built in snow make-up days.