PACIFIC, Mo. - A major water main break in Pacific left thousands without water service, forcing six schools to close.

The break happened along Jefferson Street near Graphic Packaging, where crews have been working since early this morning to repair a water main break.

"About a million and a half gallons of water utterly come out of the reservoir. So that prompted our crews to get to the scene and control all the leaks and then start to refill the reservoir," said Harold Schulman, emergency management director for the city of Pacific.

City leaders, however, say a precautionary boil water advisory will remain in effect until lab results confirm the water is safe to drink.

"We are we are hoping that they heed the advisory, and any water that they get from the tap they would boil before they ingested either drinking, washing dishes or even brushing teeth," Schulman said.

Businesses were also impacted by today's water main break.

The Pacific Brew Haus' staff told FOX 2 they've had to adjust, relying on bottled water and changing how they serve customers until service fully returns.

"We decided to pick up some canned soda, bottled water and switch to paper and to-go supplies just to stay away from using water for any particular reason. We don't use water for order cooking," Lisa Sabine, an employee at Pacific Brew Haus, said.

These six schools in the Meramec Valley R-III School District were cancelled because of the water main break:

• Alternative School

• Doris Hoffman Early Learning Center

• Pacific High School
 
• Pacific Intermediate
 
• Riverbend Middle

• Zitzman Elementary

City leaders confirmed with FOX 2 that the repairs to the line have been completed, but the boil advisory will remain in effect until test results confirm the water is safe to drink—a process that can take 24 to 48 hours.