An estimated 500 residents in an area roughly bounded by East Avenue, Eisenhower Drive, MacArthur Place, Vicklan Street and Edna Drive were without water Saturday morning after a 20-foot section of 8-inch water main broke around 7 a.m. in front of a home at 1804 Edna Drive.

A crew from the city water department dug a hole roughly 6 feet by 24 feet, removed and replaced the broken line, said supervisor William Crawley.

“God and nature,” Crawley said when asked what caused the break. “It’s old. It’s been in the ground a long time.”

About 15 fire hydrants were flushed throughout the neighborhood and water was restored around 7 p.m.

Residents affected by the outage should boil drinking and cooking water for two to five minutes until further notice, Crawley said.

Flyers will be distributed to let residents know when it’s no longer necessary to boil the water.