A water main break at Harding Road and Spring Street in Red Bank Monday morning. Spring Street was closed between Harding and Elm Place. (Click to enlarge)

Red Bank’s borough government issued a “boil water” alert following a supply line break on the East Side Monday morning.

Public works director Gary Watson tells redbankgreen that a six-inch line, not a 10-inch main, ruptured at Harding Road and Spring Street at about 6 a.m. Water service was shut to two homes on Spring Street and the Manor Drive condominium complex while a contractor makes repairs, expected to be completed by about 3 p.m., he said.

The middle school is not affected by the outage, Watson said.

Meantime, in accordance with state Department of Environmental Protection guidelines, the borough has issued an advisory to borough residents regarding water safety. Here’s the full text:

Due to a water main break at Harding Road and Spring Street, the Borough of Red Bank has issued a boil water advisory as a precautionary measure only for residents who live on the following streets:

*Spring Street (between Elm Place and Tower Hill Avenue)

*Manor Drive

*Harding Road (between Horace Place and Tower Hill Avenue)

Please note that this is a standard precaution that is taken whenever we lose pressure in our pipes due to a main break. There is no evidence of any contamination. We will inform you when the advisory is lifted.

As a precaution, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requires us to issue the following advisory:

The Department of Environmental Protection has determined that a potential or actual threat of the quality of water being provided to you currently exists. Therefore, until further notice, bring tap water to a rolling boil for one minute and allow to cool before using for consumption; drinking, ice cubes, washing vegetables and fruit, and for brushing teeth. Please continue to boil your water until you are notified that the water quality is acceptable.

We also recommend the following steps:

*Throw away uncooked food or beverages or ice cubes if made with tap water during the day of the advisory;

*Keep boiled water in the refrigerator for drinking;

*Rinse hand-washed dishes for one minute in diluted bleach (one teaspoon of household bleach per gallon of tap water) or clean your dishes in a dishwasher using the hot wash cycle and dry cycle;

*Do not swallow water while you are showering or bathing;

*Provide pets with boiled water after cooling;

*Do not use home filtering devices in place of boiling or using bottled water; most home water filters will not provide adequate protection from microorganisms;

*Use only boiled water to treat minor injuries.

Please be advised that the Red Bank Water Utility is doing all it can to make sure your water is of the highest quality. However, we are sending this notification as a precautionary measure only. We anticipate the boil water advisory will be over in the next 24 hours. We will notify you as soon as the advisory is lifted. Thank you for your patience and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. If you have any questions, please call 732-530-2770.