Most of the East Side community found themselves with no water or low water pressure Thursday afternoon after a major water line break occurred.

A 6-inch water line at the intersection of Cody and Bluefield Avenues broke around 11:20 a.m. City of Elizabethton utility crews quickly responded to the site of the break to make repairs. Traffic on Bluefield Avenue was restricted to one lane for most of the afternoon while the line was fixed.

The cause of the break was unknown, Director of Utilities Johann Coetzee said.

“Water line breaks are completely unpredictable,” Coetzee said. “Crews are still trying to determine the extend of the damage and make the repairs.”

Between 350 and 400 households were expected to be impacted in some way by the water line break.

“Almost everyone in East Side will be impacted in some way,” Water Resource Construction Manager Jim Roberts said. “The water will be completely out or there will be low water pressure.”

The water department was working to reroute water from other sources to the affected neighborhoods, Coetzee said.

The utility department, along with the Elizabethton Fire and Police Departments, has traffic restricted on Bluefield Avenue to allow repair crews to get the line back into working order.

Repairs are expected to take at least four hours, Coetzee said, but cautioned it could be longer depending on the extent of the damage.