Parts of Hawthorne lost water service for three hours on Tuesday morning following around four and a half hours without service on Monday.  

The city announced Tuesday’s break in the water line around 7 a.m. and said the line had been fixed just before 10:30 a.m. 

City Manager John Martin said the city believes Tuesday’s water line was impacted by Monday’s incident. However, instead of fracturing immediately, it happened later. He said the two breaks were in close proximity.  

Despite water loss for the city, Alachua County Public Schools said Shell Elementary would continue with school, using bottled water and portable toilets.  

The city remains under a water boil notice, and Martin said the city expects a water test by Thursday to lift the notice.  

Monday’s incident happened because of broadband installation. A limited break in water service also happened at the end of January because of broadband installation by Cox Communication.  

Martin said the city has been in constant communication with the company.  

“I mean it’s a major undertaking. It’s not a small thing,” Martin said about the broadband installation.  

He compared it to replumbing an entire town or installing new electrical lines everywhere. When you’re going through a populated area, he said problems crop up. He said the city is dealing with them as best it can.  

He said the company shoots a projectile into the ground to then pull the broadband infrastructure through. Martin said that process can go off-kilter and hit other buried utilities.