Glen Ullin city officials have asked residents there to conserve water today until a break in a water line can be repaired.

Everything should be back to normal for residents by about 6 p.m. Businesses along the city's main street might have to wait a little longer, though.

Mayor Betty DellaBarre said the break occurred this morning on the north end of Main Street. Before the problem was discovered, she said, the leak had completely drained Glen Ullin's water tower.

The problem was isolated early this afternoon. By 2 p.m., the tower was being refilled. In the meantime, residents were asked to curb water use. Businesses near the water-main break could be without water until later tonight, DellaBarre said.

She said the break was probably due to a combination of shifting ground, freezing conditions and old infrastructure

"It was probably just a pipeline that needed to be replaced," DellaBarre said. "We're working on having to replace our water lines and sewer lines."

DellaBarre and city maintenance worker Chuck Gerving were fielding so many phone calls that they asked the Morton County Emergency Management office to put out a statement about the leak.

Emergency Manager Tammy Lapp-Harris said there was a little panic after the message went out, but that there's no cause for alarm.

"They have a minor break and they're just asking people to conserve water usage until 6 because the water tower is not getting refilled and they don't know how much water is left in there," she said. "They're not concerned."

The break appeared to be in the area of Spangelo Funeral Home, a passerby reported.

"It's bubbling out down the street," Daryl Steckler, who lives south of Glen Ullin, said shortly after 2 p.m. "I just drove by it."

Glen Ullin gets its water from Lake Sakakawea, via the Southwest Water Authority in Dickinson.