El Dorado Water Utilities crews spent the day Thursday repairing a water main that had ruptured in the area of North West Avenue and Main Street.
John Peppers, general manager of the EWU, said the utilities was notified about the leak at approximately 5 a.m. Thursday.
Peppers said crews could not immediately begin repairing the four-inch main, which is directly in front of First Baptist Church at the corner of North West and Main.
Crews could not dig in the area until the EWU received the go-ahead from Arkansas One Call to locate underground utilities nearby.
Peppers said crews cut into the street to repair the main, making it easier to patch the hole in the street.
Crews were still working onsite at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Peppers said the main break was caused by a shift in the ground that was likely bought on by a change in outdoor temperatures -- a common occurrence when temperatures drop or rise.
In recent days, nighttime temperatures in El Dorado have hovered just above 30 degrees and dipped below freezing at times.
Peppers said water service was not disrupted Thursday because of the water main break.
He also said he did not think repair work would affect the El Dorado Christmas Parade, which was held Thursday night.
The parade turns east from North West Avenue onto Main Street.
"They're going to leave some barricades up near brick sidewalks. Some of the bricks rippled a little bit from the water coming up," Peppers said. "That'll be the only thing left to do. It'll take a few more days to fix those bricks."
Curtis Miller, left, and Preston Avery, both El Dorado Water Utilities workers, dig around a burst water main on Main Street early Thursday afternoon. (Caitlan Butler/News-Times)