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150 North Attleboro Homes Go Without Water For Days

NORTH ATTLEBORO (CBS) -- About 200 residents in North Attleboro were without running water for four days.

Bottled water and big jugs kept people in their homes. Even fire hydrants in the neighborhood are dry.

The 150 homes affected are controlled by Kings Grant Water, a private water company which is supplied by two wells, not the town.

"You have no water. So, therefore, you can't do dishes, you can't do laundry," Carole Mather said.

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Dirty water from a fire hydrant in North Attleboro forcing residents to go without water after a leak (WBZ-TV)

Department of Public Works Director Mark Hollowell said, "It is an older system, you do get breaks. You have cement pipes and older, cast iron pipe and when it goes, the entire neighborhood goes."

Residents said they were frustrated by the private company's slow response. The busted pipe was discovered on Monday.

"We have to apologize that it happened but we did our best to find the leak and we're effecting repairs right now," said Jim Brady from the King's Grant Water Company.

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Workers fix a water leak in North Attleboro (WBZ-TV)

By mid-afternoon Monday, the break was repaired thanks to the help of North Attleboro DPW.

Hollowell said, "Corrections need to be made, there needs to be something in place where if something happens, he can make a phone call to somebody who can come out, locate the problem, call an emergency dig safe and dig the hole."

Mather said she is excited to get back to a sense of normalcy, but knows it won't immediately be the same.

"Well, I'll feel good but I still won't trust drinking it," she said.

Officials say a boil water order is in effect at least until Thursday.

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