A possible sinkhole, or soil compaction issue, prompted the city of Durango to divert westbound traffic in the 1200 block of Florida Road on Tuesday until further notice.
The city’s Streets Division reported a 3-inch hole in the ground Tuesday afternoon. Upon closer inspection, workers realized there were soil compaction issues below the road, said city spokesman Tom Sluis.
The city called it a sinkhole in a news release issued after 5 p.m. Tuesday, but Sluis said it is not a sinkhole in the classic sense; rather, it is soil compaction issues “that were kind of opening up a hole in the ground.”
“Initially, they thought that it might have been a potential sewer line break,” Sluis said. “But they said the more they looked around, there was just some compaction issues.”
The hole formed near the Butterfield Stage Apartments in northeast Durango. Westbound traffic was diverted into the center lane of Florida Road.
Florida Road is a major thoroughfare with thousands of vehicle trips per day.
Sluis estimated the westbound lane of traffic may be closed through Friday.
In more positive public works news, the city announced Tuesday that it has completed repairs on a 30-inch pipeline near the base of Goeglein Gulch Road that supplies Terminal Reservoir with water from the Animas River.
The city learned of the pipe’s failure on June 29 when water began flowing up from the asphalt on Goeglein Gulch Road. Crews excavated more than 12 feet down to the pipeline and discovered a 3-inch hole in the pipe caused by age and corrosive soils, according to a news release issued by the city.
The pipeline is the city’s only source for raw water pumped from the Animas River to the city’s Terminal Reservoir, which is located just north of the Skyridge subdivision. Durango tap water comes primarily from the Florida River but is supplemented by water from the Animas River during peak summer demand.
The city’s water demand is 7 million gallons per day at this time of year, and the Florida pipeline can provide only about 5 million gallons each day, according to the release.
“We want to give a huge thank you to our largest irrigation users for voluntarily reducing irrigation,” said Utilities Manager Justin Elkins. “We wanted to keep everybody informed along the way so that they understand this is not a new issue and it's not sneaking up on the city. We were out here day one addressing the issue within an hour of the actual break.”
shane@durangoherald.com
