T-L Photo/ROBERT A. DEFRANK Traffic is detoured around East Main Street in St. Clairsville on Wednesday while workers sought out a waterline break in one of the lines leading to the city’s water towers.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Workers were digging up a section of East Main Street near the courthouse Wednesday afternoon and a detour directed traffic around the work zone. Safety and Service Director Jeremy Greenwood was on site and said the project began that morning when he was alerted to a line break.

“We were trying not to do this. We were boring under it so we wouldn’t have to close the street, but obviously something happened, so we had to close it down,” he said.

“It could be another couple hours. It could be four or five hours, it could be the rest of the day. It just depends on where we find it. It could be tomorrow if we can’t find it,” he said. “We’ve got two main waterlines that come in here that feed the tanks, an 8-inch line and a 10-inch line.”

Greenwood said the 8-inch line dates from 1928 and the 10-inch dates from 1982.

He said water loss from the line was not excessive but had to be addressed.

“It’s just dribbling, but we can’t just let it go, so we have to fix it,” he said.

Greenwood said residents may notice some discoloration or pressure loss.

“Just because these are the main lines that feed the tanks. Right now we are able to go off the tanks,” he said.

The city has two water towers near the courthouse; they hold 250,000 and 200,000 gallons. There is a 500,000-gallon water tank at the Commons Mall Crossing.

A 48-hour boil order was issued for 100-166 E. Main Street, 101-135 W. Main Street, 101 and 103 N. Market Street; and 116 Newell Avenue.

It appeared that the work had been completed late Wednesday, as Main Street had reopened to traffic.