CLALLAM BAY — Customers of the Clallam Bay/Sekiu Water System have been told to drink bottled water rather than tap water until a water pipe break can be repaired later this week.

The break in the system’s water line where it crosses the Little Hoko River was discovered because of dropping reservoir levels, said Mike Kitz, water superintendent for Clallam County Public Utility District.

“It’s a major break,” he said.

The water system’s 340 customers, which includes both residences and businesses, still can use the water for bathing, dish washing and other indirect water uses, Kitz said.

But residents still should use as little water as possible until the break is repaired, Kitz said.

Kitz said a Clallam PUD crew is going to bypass the break temporarily using a firehose.

He said he hoped the firehose would be in place by this morning.

A permanent bypass will be made when eight-inch plastic pipe arrives in the next two or three days, he said.

Once the new water line is installed, the water will be suitable for drinking again, he said.

Residents will be kept updated through Clallam PUD’s automatic telephone system as well as notices posted in the Clallam Bay-Sekiu area, Kitz said.

No cost estimates for the repair have been developed yet, he said.