A water main break left most of Kitchener without water for a portion of Saturday.

The break occurred Saturday morning on a property near Manitou Drive and Bleams Road. Roads in the area were closed as crews worked on repairing it.

City officials said there was little or no water pressure in the area between the Kitchener/Waterloo border, Fischer-Hallman Road, Lackner Boulevard and Fairway and Bleams roads. All told, the city estimates that 150,000 people were affected by the break.

According to Kitchener Utilities, work was underway by noon to isolate the break, repair it and restore water service to the city. At 2 p[.m., the city issued a statement saying water pressure was returning to normal and all affected properties should have their water back in short order.

Homeowners were being warned that discoloured water could be seen after normal pressure resumed. While the discoloured water is considered safe to drink, it can be eliminated by running water from the tap closest to the water meter for several minutes.

The water main was installed in 1965. City officials said it was past the end of its life expectancy, but newer than much of the city's existing water infrastructure.