A city water main broke near Park Elementary School about noon causing excessive water to surround the school and impact several classrooms. The break also discolored water for residents all over town.
The school retained potable water, and was able to finish the day’s activities without canceling classes, said Julie Popp, spokeswoman for Durango School District 9-R. The bus pickup area was moved as a result of the flooding, Popp said.
“It will be a little more congested than usual,” she said.
The kindergarten playground was completely flooded, and some of the water had seeped into classrooms on the east side of the school.
“Two classrooms were affected,” 9-R Superintendent Dan Snowberger said Tuesday evening. “One we caught fairly quickly, and the SERVPRO (Cleanup Service) crew will work through the night to get that room ready for class (Wednesday).”
The other classroom, he said, was more extensively damaged. That class has been relocated to another space in the school, and SERVPRO has told the district that classroom may be available for use by Friday.
“There wasn’t bacteria detected in the water,” Snowberger said, “so we hope not to have any mold issues.”
The water for sinks, toilets and drinking fountains comes from a different main than the one that broke, he said, and it was tested and found to be potable. The fire-suppression system in the school, however, does come from the broken pipe. The system was back operational by 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The ground likely shifted because of the warm weather, and it broke the 8-inch steel pipe, said Steve Salka, Durango utilities director. The pipe was expected to be replaced Tuesday evening.
The hole in the pipe created a huge demand for water and stirred up rust in pipes all over town creating the discoloration in the water, he said.
Residents who are experiencing discolored water should run cold water from their faucets until the water is clear.
The water was not contaminated, and there is no need to boil water, Salka said.
shane@durangoherald.com
