Fort Bragg releasing non-essential personnel because of water main break

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (WTVD) -- Fort Bragg officials released all non-essential personnel after the base suffered a water main break. It's asking everyone who remains to limit water use and boil water while crews flush water lines and sample water for purity

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Officials tell ABC11 a 36-inch PWC pipe that ruptured near the old water treatment plant has been repaired.

The water main break forced several shutdowns on post, including all Child Development Centers. Fort Bragg requested parents to pick their children up immediately.

Crews were on the scene within an hour when they first discovered the free flowing water around 4:30 a.m. Since then, Fort Bragg has installed a bypass system in place to keep water flowing to the most critical areas.

Those areas include Womack Army Medical Center, which is getting the majority of the water from that bypass system.

Womack has canceled elective surgeries at the hospital and has cases of bottled water and ready wipes. Womack officials stress that infection control is their number one priority, assuring the public that all safety measures they are taking are within infection control guidelines.

Fort Bragg will give the all clear once the situation is completely under control.