CARLISLE, Iowa —

Carlisle residents are one step closer to having clean water.

Thursday morning at 5 a.m., the community transitions from a do-not-use order to a boil advisory.

The apparent result of officials finding a 12-inch water main break on the north side of the city.

A 12-inch PVC water main break was discovered late Tuesday in a wooded area off Highway 5 in northern Carlisle, and officials said they are confident they have located the source of the town’s water problems.

The break found last week was not as large.

Schools reopen

Carlisle Community Schools will return to the classroom on Thursday after a week away. The water outage forced the district to cancel classes for three days and hold two days of virtual classes.

On Thursday, all students will be on-site at school. According to a letter from the district, pre-packaged breakfast items and sack lunches will be available and students will be provivded bottled drinking water.

Finding creative alternatives

While still under the do not use the water order until Thursday morning, residents and business owners who depend on running water are finding creative alternatives.

Kim Wininger, owner of AvaLayne Hair Studio, set up a portable camping shower to supply clean water to the salon’s shampoo bowls.

“I saw someone post on the Carlisle page about ordering one of these portable camper showers,” Wininger said.

Workers pump water from a barrel, warm it with an immersion heater and pour it into a 5-gallon bucket.

They then turn on an electric pump to move the clean water to the shampoo stations.

The temporary system allowed hairstylist Taylor Estes to return to work.

“It was Kim’s idea, and honestly, having no job was difficult,” Estes said.

One Carlisle resident described the do not use the water order as inconvenient, particularly because she cannot shower when she wants.

Still, she said the emergency has brought out the best in the community.

“Our little small town is coming together as a community, and I love to see how we are all supporting one another, even on the outskirts of Carlisle,” said Gabby Ramos.

Mayor Dan Carver said the break was found in one of the last areas crews checked because officials initially believed the location was unlikely to be the source.

“We’re able to make repairs on that water main break and flush and clean the system at the same time,” Carver said. “So the water main break — the things that are there — doesn’t put us back.”

Which leads to the upgrade to a boil water advisory that starts Thursday morning at 5.

All Carlisle students will be back on-site for school tomorrow.

The District is providing pre-packaged breakfast and sack lunches.

Bottled drinking water will also be available.

The school says each building will send specific details to families before the end of the day.

Carlisle residents can shower, with proof or residency, at the Indianola Wellness Campus.

And there is still plenty of bottled water across the street from City Hall.