SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - No showers, no bathrooms, no running water -- that's what the people on Estero Island had to deal with for 22 hours on Thursday after a massive water main broke.

The water is flowing again, but now everyone must boil their water until Monday, and some people want to know what can be done to make sure this doesn't happen again.

About one million gallons of water burst through the water main in Times Square, drowning out an estimated $50,000 of lunch business across the island.

A plan for a permanent fix is in the works, but it has a hefty price tag and could put the town in debt.

"Electricity you can live without, but water is everything," Fort Myers Beach homeowner Scott Shelkey says.

Shelkey dips into his hurricane stash to get through a massive water main break that left the whole island parched.

"I'm off work today and I'd like to make a buck," Krsiten Norberg, who lives and works on the beach, says.

Servers say they lost hundreds in tips, while their employers were left thirsting for the thousands of dollars in lunch business that washed away.

"We're probably going to lose $1,500 to 2,000 today," Bill Baden, water slide owner, says.

"I'm just glad this didn't happen last week or the week before, because then we would have been talking many thousands, but even so, It cost us a couple thousand dollars last night and today, which isn't a good thing, but there's not much you can do about it," Nello Cernoia, Wahoo Willie's owner, says.

The town manager tells WINK News there is something that can be done. There is a nearly $7 million plan to rip out and replace the 40-year-old water system up for discussion Monday night.

"They didn't even look like pipes," retired pipe fitter and tourist Robert James says. "They looked like they were covered with dirt, roots, whatever, I mean they look terrible."

And when they break, tourists say they dampen their vacation.

"I couldn't shower, couldn't go to the bathroom, couldn't eat," Diane Baylor, tourist from Chicago, says. "Even McDonald's was closed. We had to go to 7-11 to find something to eat!"

"Would you think twice about coming back?" Reporter Maggie Crane asks.

"yeah. I think there needs to be a plan if this ever happens again," Baylor says.

"More than just for business sake, there was a serious safety issue last night," Nicole Cilley, Burrito A-Go-Go owner, says. "I mean literally, the ground was moving like a waterbed when you stepped on the pavers."

Some businesses and homeowners fear higher water bills or taxes will be needed to quench the cost of construction.

"It's definitely necessary," Shelkey says. "I've seen some of the results of the bad, old corroded piping -- it's no doubt that it's needed but if it's hitting me in the pocket book, of course I have a special place in my heart for that."

Crews are expected to return to the site early Friday morning to repair the street.

The boil water notice is in effect through Monday, when a tests from water samples are returned. That means any water you drink or wash with should be boiled for one minute.