Early yesterday morning, the Southland District Council was made aware of a "substantial leak" at Old Balfour Rd which happened overnight.
The council advised in a social media post that Lumsden could run out of water by noon. A water tanker was sent to the town centre in case it was needed.
Northern Southland College principal Pete Wilkinson said after an email from the council, buses were organised and the call was made to close the school at lunchtime.
Just when school was out and the students were getting on to buses, Mr Wilkinson got the news that everything was back to normal.
"We got an email at 12.02pm [that the water was fixed].
"We were under the impression we were going to be out of water for the foreseeable [future], so we had to make a decision on what to do next, and it was the right decision," he said.
Lumsden School also closed early. It declined further comment.
On the main street, Route6 Cafe and Bar closed during the lunch rush, turning away customers.
Duty manager Paula Wills said although the cafe still had water when the call was made, water pressure and health and safety issues drove the decision.
She learnt about the water problems not from the Southland District Council, but from a chatting to a staff member at the Four Square next door.
"Nobody came and talked to us. We heard from locals, and then found out the schools had shut down. It is what it is, though. [It] doesn’t happen every day," she said.
Southland District Council was asked for comment, but did not respond before deadline.
