By Will Pafford, Staff Writer

Approximately five million gallons of water were lost as of Tuesday afternoon after a contractor damaged a 54-inch water main line at 2101 Walsh Tarlton Lane. 

A contractor inadvertently drilled a four-inch hole in the main late Monday evening. 

Greg Mezaros, director of Austin Water Utility, said he expected the repair efforts to continue well into Tuesday night. 

Crews first had to excavate, then repair the damaged line, he said. 

AWU shut down water flowing to the pipe to allow for repairs, according to an AWU release. 

The water utility reserved 12 hours of water in reservoirs for customers in the affected area to allow more time for repairs.

AWU asked customers in the area to suspend all non-essential water use while crews made the repairs. 

Traffic on Walsh Tarlton Lane traveling south of Tarlton Lane was detosured as crews blocked the road during the work. 

The damaged line provides about 60 percent of the drinking water for Austin residents and businesses south of the Colorado River, according to the AWU.