Massive leak leaves parts of Walsenburg without water for days

Public works crews have yet to fully restore water to the city of Walsenburg, four days after a major water main break fully disrupted service. 

“All the restaurants are closed,” said Mark Craddock, a reporter with the World Journal newspaper in Walsenburg, a city of about 3,000 residents. “Public restrooms are not to be found (open) anywhere. Businesses are hobbling by.”

The break, which occurred about 2 a.m. on Friday, grew over the weekend as workers failed to find the source of the leak. By Monday afternoon, the city system was losing more than 2,000 gallons a minute, Craddock said. 

Shower services were offered to the public at several nearby locations, including Lathrop State Park. A tanker truck provided residents with non-potable water in the parking lot of a local community center while various organizations and businesses offered bottles of drinking water. 

“Most government offices are running marginally,” Craddock said. “The schools are still open, but with no restrooms and only bottled water in the lunch service, it has definitely had an impact. And, as it drags on, it's a lot of thirsty people.”

Huerfano School District RE-1 closed Walsenburg Jr. Sr. High School and Peakview School, with planned events facing a rescheduling after next week's spring break.

Walsenburg is served by a patchwork of water pipes made of materials ranging from cast iron to PVC to even wood piping that dates back generations, Craddock said, and the local public works department lacks a comprehensive map of exactly where all that infrastructure is located.

According to the water department’s website, the utility serves about 1,700 customers through around 100 miles of distribution lines and another 700 customers who pick up and haul water from a central dispensing facility. 

After alarms tripped at the local water treatment plant Friday morning, indicating a massive loss of water, taps across the city lost pressure. Drones with cameras and crews began following water lines, looking for the location of the break. One leak was found and repaired Friday afternoon, which partially restored water to portions of the city.

“But, they were still losing water hand over fist. So it was not the leak, as it were,” Craddock said.

By Monday morning, using existing state water meters installed along the Cucharas River to look for unexplained increases in flow data, crews found another water main break running through a farmer’s property. 

“I went to the site,” Craddock said, “and literally about a 20-foot diameter corral … down by the river looked like a fishing pond.” 

Crews backtracked and found a valve to shut off that line by Monday evening.

Within minutes, Craddock said, water pressure was restored to much of the city. However, any regions serviced by the shut-down line remained without water Tuesday. 

Even for areas with restored water service, a boil order remains in effect for any water use other than flushing toilets. That means water should be boiled for at least one minute for cooking, making ice and other uses. State regulations require such a notice following a pressure loss due to the risk of water-borne illness. The advisory will remain in place until the full system is flushed and testing confirms the water is safe for consumption. Residents are also advised not to use laundry machines and to shut down water heaters.

Huerfano County, which is helping to run the incident’s emergency response, said in a release the city does not have an estimated timeline for the full restoration of its water service. 

Speaking by phone to CPR News Tuesday morning, Craddock was driving to the site of yet another newly discovered leak. The latest update said service was shut down to the city again at about 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday to attempt more repairs. 

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that two schools in Walsenburg have closed as a result of the lack of water.