Crews work to repair gas leak, pipes, roads in aftermath of major Colorado Springs water main break | Colorado Springs News

Colorado Springs Utilities workers and road crews continued on Saturday to repair the damage caused by a water pipe rupture on Friday afternoon that caused a flood at the intersection of North Academy Boulevard and Maizeland Road and created several bubbling cracks.

However, repairs were delayed by several hours when a large piece of asphalt fell from the edge of a construction pit into the hole and hit a 4-inch gas line, breaking it and causing a leak.

The firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after 4 p.m. and set up a wide perimeter while the gas crews worked to fix the gas leak.

“The tarmac in this area has been weakened by all of the water,” said Natalie Watts, spokeswoman for Utilities.

Companies on the southeast corner of the intersection that had been without water since Friday afternoon were also without gas, Watts said.

The broken water pipe is buried under the gas pipe, so the gas pipe had to be repaired before the crews could continue digging for the broken water pipe, which was still leaking.

The supply authority had started construction of an above-ground bypass for the gas pipeline in order to restore operations.

“Our top priority right now is returning gasoline to our customers,” said utility official Jared Miller. “As soon as we do that, we’ll be working on the water pipe again.”

To bypass the gas pipeline, which was still trapped under large, heavy pieces of asphalt, an excavator had to dig another large hole in the road to dispel hopes of opening the roads by Monday.

When asked when the roads would be open, Miller said, “It will be a few days. That’s all I can say at this point.”

The Academy-Maizeland intersection is a hub of utility lines, many of which are buried under the asphalt, Miller said. So the crews dug carefully to avoid disrupting additional services to nearby customers.

Before the gas line broke, what looked like a four-lane south-flowing river on Friday looked more like a construction area on Saturday with heavy equipment shoveling discolored water from a gaping excavation hole on the south-facing lanes of the intersection and trucks Restoring the northbound lanes.

“We’re gaining from it,” said a Colorado Springs Utilities employee, who was one of the first on Friday. “We have to remove the water, asphalt and dirt from the hole before we can assess the pipe.”

The 30-inch pipe that burst is about 60 years old, according to Watts.

“We have aging infrastructure in our water system that we are currently actively replacing if the budget allows,” Watts wrote in a press release.

The utility used water-filled tankers to provide affected customers with water for drinking, cooking and septic tanks, Watts said.

Homes and businesses north of the intersection do not appear to be affected by the main break, while the south side has been without water since Friday afternoon, according to several residents and employees.

At Hooked on Books, a second-hand bookshop in the Maizeland Moors shopping center on the northeast corner of the intersection, the water and sewer systems were working normally, according to owner David Satin.

“I live north of here and have had no problems at home,” said Satin, adding that his parents, who live south and east of the main break, got stained water.

“I think we’re the lucky ones,” said a Boost Mobile business employee in the same complex.

A supermarket on the south side of Maizeland was closed until further notice, and the open shops had either discolored water or no water at all, according to the employees.

“I don’t know how businesses should run without water,” she said.

Once the cracked pipe is repaired, it will need to be tested by flushing nearby plumbing and fire hydrants, Watts said. This could move sediment in the pipes and cause discolored water in nearby residents and businesses.

According to Watts, residents with discolored water should try to flush their water lines by running a spigot near the main line (generally an outside hose tap) for 15 minutes and repeat the process if the water does not clear.

“The discoloration you see isn’t dirt, but iron that’s in line and churned up,” said Watts.

The utility company also recommends that customers wait a day or two for the laundry and empty their water heaters.

“It’s recommended that you do this once a year as part of a preventative maintenance plan anyway, so now would be a good time to dump it,” said Watts.

Affected customers with specific concerns about water quality should call the utility laboratory at (719) 668-4560.

It is not yet known when the cracked pipe will be repaired, but residents should expect the academy-Maizeland intersection to remain closed for several days and plan accordingly, Watts said. The supply agency asks drivers to avoid the area if possible.