Broken pipe floods courthouse basement

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

According to Commissioner Dave Dose, he and his fellow commissioners were made aware of the situation on Friday morning and were able to get the water shut off within a couple of hours.  

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

According to Dose, this work will go through the weekend, and early next week they will assess the total amount of water damage done to the building and begin cleaning.  

The basement floor of the courthouse is where Shoshone County’s DMV, Public Works, and Planning and Zoning departments are located. Reportedly, 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 at the courthouse.