Rio Rancho water main break fully repaired, city says

Water main break floods parts of Western Hills, closes several schools

RIO RANCHO — A water main break Friday morning caused flooding for some neighborhood streets…

Water main break drags on; should be fixed late tonight, RR says

Update: This story includes new information from the city of Rio Rancho about the water main break.

RIO RANCHO — The city of Rio Rancho told residents Monday that repair work on a water main break in the Western Hills Drive area has been completed.

The city posted an update of the repair on its website as of 11 a.m. The statement said "normal water pressure to customers will be restored" today.

"The City thanks customers for their patience as crews worked around the clock for several days to make this significant repair," the statement said.

Rio Rancho Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary and Lincoln Middle School — the schools impacted by the break — resumed instruction Monday, according to Rio Rancho Public Schools spokesman Wyndham Kemsley.

The latest announcement caps a days-long ordeal in which area schools closed and scores of residents had little to no water pressure in their homes since Friday morning, when the break occurred. One resident's home was a total loss.

City officials estimated Friday afternoon that repair would take 10-12 hours. The reason repair completion times kept getting pushed back is because crews continued to "find more damaged pipe," the city said in a previous update on its website.