A large water main break in Edison impacted nearly 20,000 residents and businesses on Thursday, prompting a boil water advisory for the town.

Officials say the 20-inch water main broke around 12 a.m., near the entrance of Ben Franklin Elementary School on Woodbridge Avenue. The school was closed due to the holiday. Edison Water Utility, contractors and sewer utility crews worked all day to drain and repair the break. Homes and businesses along Woodbridge Avenue, Route 27 and parts of Talmadge Road and Edison Town Hall were primarily impacted.

Edison Mayor Sam Joshi said the boil water advisory was put in place as a precaution.

"There was no direct contaminant that we saw. But, in an abundance of caution, we announced a boil water advisory,” Joshi told News 12.

The mayor added, "There’s a number of businesses that have just taken the day off. It’s not ideal, it's very frustrating."

Joshi says that the pipes are about 80 years old, but he believes the cold temperatures are a part of the cause for the break.

“There could have been a number of issues that came out with this, but we do believe the weather to be one of the primary ones,” Joshi said.

The mayor says old infrastructure has been an ongoing issue and it's something his administration has been working to fix.

The Edison Senior Center, located at 2963 Woodbridge Ave., is open for residents to use public bathrooms.

Residents can get water from the town at the following locations: Fire Station #1 located at 25 Plainfield Ave. and Fire Station #2 located at 1997 Route 27. Proof of residency must be shown.