Residents of central Shoshone County likely to be without water for most of today

A water main that broke just outside of Pinehurst on Tuesday evening could lead to as many as 3,000 residents of central Shoshone County being without water for most of the day.

Central Shoshone County Water District crews began work to repair the break Wednesday. A structure that holds the main line that feeds water to the rest of the county came apart because it was sticking out in the Coeur d’Alene River channel, said Chad Nelson, the assistant manager of the Central Shoshone County Water District.

The water main feeds water along the Interstate 90 corridor to the towns of Smelterville, Kellogg and Osburn. Pinehurst was not affected, Nelson said.

Residents of Osburn were first to see the effects of the break, since the town is last in line to receive water and is more elevated than the other towns, Nelson said. Most of the town was without water.

“Everything is uphill there,” Nelson said.

Mike Capparelli, who owns the Capparelli Espresso stand at 118 N. Third St., opened his coffee shop Thursday morning but wasn’t able to serve coffee or ice cream, since it’s water-cooled. But he still was selling Red Bulls and frappuccinos.

Nelson said crews have been working around the clock to get the broken chunk of 24-inch water main replaced.