BENTONVILLE -- The city announced Thursday crews successfully repaired the main 48-inch water line serving both it and Cave Springs after it was damaged last week.
The city lifted the alert for residents and businesses to conserve water it issued after the incident in a news release Thursday. This means they can resume their normal water usage routines.
"We extend our sincere gratitude to our citizens for their patience and cooperation during this time, as well as to our neighboring cities and contractors for their invaluable support," Mike Bender, the city's public works director, said in the news release.
A private contractor struck the 48-inch line near Arkansas 112 in Cave Springs around 5 p.m. April 2 and immediately called Cave Springs officials to alert them of the error, according to Cave Springs Mayor Randall Noblett.
Bender has said complete failure of the line occurred around 8 p.m. April 2. The leak was isolated by 9:45 p.m. and an emergency connection with Rogers Water Utilities was established for Bentonville.
The contractor that caused the initial damage to the water line was collecting soil samples when they accidentally created the obstruction, according to Bender. He said the water line wasn't completely exposed due to the nature of the sampling procedures, so the full damage was not observed. Despite this, Bentonville was back at normal water pressure by the morning of April 3, having never lost water production completely.
Noblett said Springdale Water Utilities restored water in Cave Springs through an emergency connection. He said everyone affected by the line break had water restored by 11 p.m. April 2.
Bender and Noblett said Tuesday Bentonville and Cave Springs will pay Rogers and Springdale, respectively, for the water their cities used after the main was damaged.