The main Broward County Courthouse shut down Thursday following a major water main break in Fort Lauderdale.

A Florida Power & Light contractor punctured a 42-inch main linking the city's wellfield to its primary water treatment plan Wednesday at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Mayor Dean Trantalis said at a news conference.

As crews worked to close valves to activate a bypass, the main collapsed, and the city cut off the water supply to 200,000 customers in all or parts of seven cities as well as Port Everglades.

A replacement pipe was obtained in Miami to bypass the broken section, and the mayor said a temporary fix allowed the city to rebuild water pressure late Thursday afternoon. A workaround and a permanent fix were planned, but a boil-water order was imposed.

Many large buildings use water in their air-conditioning systems, forcing shutdowns ranging from the downtown courthouse and the Bank of America Financial Center six miles from the scene of the airport break.

A smaller city water plant remained online but couldn't compensate for the other plant's loss.

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