Large water main break keeps Fourth Street closed at Main; repairs delayed by cold

A large water main break has closed Fourth Street at Main in Atchison, and city officials said repairs will be completed by a contractor early next week after cold weather prevented immediate work.

"It's a really large water main, small break, so it wasn't an emergency," Atchison City Manager Mark Westhoff told the commission. Westhoff said an initial attempt to fix the pipe failed because of the size of the main; the city has hired a contractor to complete the repair and said the contractor's price was "less than we expected." He added that the cold snap is preventing the contractor from starting work this week and that crews are targeting early next week to finish repairs.

Nut graf: The closure affects access at Fourth and Main and business and resident service; the city said it will notify impacted businesses and residents when the contractor schedules the work.

Westhoff said Fourth Street at Main remains closed while the city prepares for the contractor to perform the repair. He said the city will update all impacted businesses and residents when the work is scheduled. When a commissioner asked about a reported change in water taste, Westhoff said, "We didn't notice anything." The city did not describe any water-quality testing or boil-water advisories.

Ending: The commission did not set a firm start date beyond "early next week" and did not give a repair cost figure beyond the city manager's remark that the contractor's bid was lower than expected.