A water main break in Danbury that caused problems for thousands of residents and shut down two schools should be repaired by Wednesday morning, according to the mayor.

It burst at the intersection of Tamarack and Hayestown avenues late Monday.

Mayor Mark Boughton said thousands of gallons a minute were gushing out of the 16-inch pipe. He could not provide an exact number of affected customers, but he said people from Bethel to the east side of the city could experience low or no water pressure.

While water main breaks are common, Boughton said this one was different because the control valve broke, not the pipe itself. That valve needed to be remade in Buffalo, New York. Danbury's director of public works flew there to get the parts.

The replacement was expected to fly into Danbury Tuesday afternoon.

Hayestown Avenue Elementary and Henry Abbott Technical High School were closed pending repairs, and Danbury Hospital is taking precautions. Western Connecticut State University students were also told not to drink or wash their hands with tap water.

Anyone affected by the incident is advised to boil water or use bottled water.

Petro Filippakos, whose pizza restaurant was affected by the break, said he stocked up on bottled water and remained open.