Water main break in Copiague, likely from cold temperatures, floods streets

An underground water main broke in Copiague on Tuesday morning, most likely because of frigid temperatures, leaving 54 homes temporarily without water and several streets flooded, officials said.

The break occurred at about 8 a.m. on Oak Street south of the Long Island Rail Road station, the Suffolk County Water Authority said.

The homes had water until about noon when SCWA workers located the break, turned off valves and dug into the ground to repair a crack in the main, SCWA spokesman Daniel Dubois said.

The homes were expected to start receiving water again at about 3:30 p.m.

Great Neck Road, a main thoroughfare nearby, was closed for part of the morning due to the flooding but reopened around noon, Dubois said. Oak Street remained closed throughout the day and would remain so through the evening as crews repaired the break in the 12-inch cast iron water main, he said.

"Water main breaks are far more common during this time of year," Dubois said. "We see it very often, especially in the Babylon area."