A broken water main on Kaumana Drive left about 50 homes in upper Hilo with little or no water service for nearly eight hours last night.

The break was reported at about 8 p.m.  in the vicinity of Wiliwili and Oma`o streets.

Crews excavating along the roadway found a crack about six feet long in the 8-inch water main, said Kanani Aton, spokeswoman for the county Department of Water Supply. Repairs required the closing of one lane of Kaumana Drive.

Water service was restored by 4 a.m., Aton said, and repairs to the roadway were completed at about 9:30 a.m. today.