INDIANAPOLIS — Crews from Citizens Energy are on the scene of a Thursday morning water main break on the near northeast side of Indianapolis.
Since the break began Thursday morning in the area of 22nd Street and Dr. Andrew J Brown Avenue, it has caused road closures, water outages and 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.
“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.”
Boil water advisory issued for east side of Indianapolis
Citizens Energy Group has 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 12 p.m. 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
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.
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.
In an update from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department, officials estimate that service will be restored in two to four hours.
As of around 12:07 p.m., much of Indianapolis’ east side is impacted by Thursday morning’s water main break. For a current look at the outage map from Citizens, click here.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
