A main water line break in Tryon Tuesday afternoon spilled just under 100,000 gallons and shut off water to a block of downtown businesses and residents for about four hours.
The break occurred at the top of School Street, near Tryon Elementary School, around 1:45 p.m. Public works employees and police officers rerouted school traffic at 3 p.m.
Town public works crews completed repairs to the line by 8:30 p.m., with water restored to businesses by 6:30 p.m.
Tryon Public Works Director Joel Burrell said the total water loss, including flushing the line, is estimated between 200,000 and 250,000 gallons. The cause, he said, was weather related, from changing temperatures and aged infrastructure.