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Water main break closes school, limits businesses in South Strabane Twp.

Parking lots looked more like ponds in front of the handful of businesses on Manifold Road in South Strabane Township on Friday.

"Looks like it's causing a lot of problems. I sat in traffic quite a while,” said Kristin Barr.

Police and road crews had the intersection of Manifold and Route 19 blocked off for much of the day as crews worked to repair a 12-inch water main break.

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Big box stores like Walmart and Sam’s Club lost water but stayed open. Channel 11 saw portable toilets being delivered and set up outside Sam’s Club to compensate.

The break also dried out any early business to nearby restaurants.

Barbara Lacey came to Olive Garden to meet her daughter but found closed signs on the front doors.

"Just after I sat here and I looked and saw there wasn't any cars here or at Max and Erma’s,” she said.

Nearby Trinity East Elementary School had to abandon the classrooms because of the lack of water.

"I got a call from the school saying they had no water service due to a water main break so they were busing all the kids up to the high school for the day,” Barr said.

The district told Channel 11 the kids were separated by grade and teachers managed to teach their lessons for the day without disrupting curriculum or dismissing early.

"I think it's a good policy because there are a lot of parents who work and sometimes you just can't get there and I wouldn't want my son to come home and have my husband and I both at work,” Barr said.