Water main break prompts all-day closure of Hattiesburg Zoo

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - An overnight break in a water main near the Hattiesburg Zoo prompted administrators to shut down the zoo for the entire day Tuesday.

The break happened on a main line near the intersection of Hardy Street and North 17th Avenue around 1 a.m.

City officials aren’t sure how the break occurred but said it could be related to construction work around the zoo.

Officials said The break was isolated between two valves. This meant repairs could be made without anyone losing service.

The repairs were completed Tuesday afternoon.

Zoo staff said Tuesday would have been the first day for the facility to return to normal spring operating hours.

“You’ve got a lot of work going on at the water park next door, but I don’t think there was any equipment right next door to it this morning, so we’re not really sure what happened,” said Alan Howe, director of water and sewer for the City of Hattiesburg. “It could just be the old line. It split right across it, it’s a 10-inch cast iron pipe and it split right across it.”

“For the safety of our guests and the animals, we feel like the experience will be better if we just decided to re-open tomorrow,” said Demetric Kelly, director of guest services and retail for the Hattiesburg Zoo. “The hours (for the zoo) tomorrow are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The zoo will be open, and all locations will be open.

The splash pad will not be on, that’s going to come on during spring break, but we will have our other attractions going.”

City officials say if you’re having low water pressure, brown water or other issues, call the city’s action line at 601-545-4500.

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