A boil-water order remained in effect Sunday for Boston and 29 other eastern Massachusetts communities a day after a "catastrophic" breach of a pipeline that supplies water to the area.

The breach sent millions of gallons of water gushing out of the pipeline. Crews worked through the night to repair the break in a 10-foot-diameter steel pipe running through Weston, about 12 miles west of Boston, Gov. Deval Patrick told reporters.

"It is very important that boiled water be the first solution," said Patrick, adding that bottled water was being distributed with help from the National Guard to people in vulnerable communities.

The failure happened between 10 and 11 a.m. Saturday, according to Fred Laskey, the executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.

Water was leaking into the Charles River at a rate of more than 8 million gallons an hour, the authority said.

Repairs were expected to be finished by Sunday night, Laskey said. The integrity of the line would then be tested, as well as the water quality, he said.

"We continue to grind away at this and we feel like we're making good progress," Laskey said.