Broken pipe floods courthouse basement

WALLACE — A broken pipe led to several inches of water flooding the basement of the Shoshone County Courthouse last week. 

Commissioner Dave Dose said he and his fellow commissioners were made aware of the situation Friday morning and shut off the water within a couple of hours.  

They haven’t determined what caused the pipe to break, but restoration efforts are underway. Before repairs can be made, water must be pumped from the basement and the floors and lower walls must be dried. 

Dose said this work will go through the weekend. They will assess the damage next week and begin cleaning.  

The basement floor of the courthouse is where Shoshone County’s DMV, Public Works and Planning and Zoning departments are located. The DMV was able to avoid most of the damage and is still operating in the basement. However, Public Works and P&Z have temporarily been moved to the fourth floor of the building. 

Coeur d’Alene SERVPRO is handling the restoration work.