A series of water system failures has shut a 12-year-old family-owned olive oil business in Waterbury, leaving 30 workers jobless and causing up to $5 million in damage.
The Republican-American reports that Mayor Neil O'Leary said city health officials condemned the building and inventory of The Olive Oil Factory on Tuesday.
The water main break was reported at about 4 p.m. on Monday and the water was not shut off until around midnight.
Mayor Neil O'Leary said a contractor who was doing environmental remediation accidentally hit the 12-inch water main and water rushed through the building, knocking out walls and contaminating $3.5 million worth of products.
City water employees tried to shut the flow by closing the nearest valve, but it broke. The city tried closing the second nearest valve, but it was stuck at about 80 percent closed.
The next valve off the 36-inch water main feeds half the city and was not shut because it would have left too many others without water.
O'Leary said the company will support the 30 employees who worked at the building, City officials will be meeting with the business owners to determine what can be done.
