Boil water order lifted in Springfield, schools open

The Water and Sewer Commission in Springfield, Massachusetts, has lifted the boil water order for the city Thursday morning.

Officials said bacteria sample results from water throughout the distribution system in Springfield and Ludlow came back negative.

The water order was issued Tuesday night after a large water main broke in Springfield off of St. James Avenue, spilling some 10 million gallons.

That dropped the water pressure low enough to pose a bacterial contamination risk, officials said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno called it a "challenging situation that was caused by the wash out from all the extreme rain and flash flooding we’ve been getting," he said in a prepared statement.

School was cancelled on Wednesday, but resumed Thursday morning.  Many businesses also closed for the day on Wednesday.

"We understand that this difficult decision inconvenienced many, but it was made out of an abundance of caution," Sarno said. "The public health and wellbeing of my residents and businesses is my number priority. I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”

This story is a production of the New England News Collaborative. It was originally published by New England Public Media.