Thursday, Feb 4, 2016 12:52 AMUpdated Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 2:31 AM
Ice redirects parents, students to fairgrounds
Miller Middle School students report to the Exhibit Hall of the La Plata County Fairgrounds on Thursday morning after a water main break forced road closures near the school.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews work to locate a valve while trying to repair a water main break Thursday morning near 25th and Junction streets. The school district redirected Miller Middle School students to the La Plata County Fairgrounds.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Miller Middle School students report to the Exhibit Hall of the La Plata County Fairgrounds Thursday morning after a water main break forced road closures near the school.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews close 25th Street at West 3rd Avenue for a water main break Thursday morning near 26th Street and Junction Street.
Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews work to locate a valve while trying to stop a water main break near 26th Street and Junction Street Thursday morning. Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Miller Middle School students report to the Exhibit Hall of the La Plata County Fairgrounds Thursday morning after a water main break forced road closures near the School. Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews work to clear 25th Street of ice caused by a broken water main Thursday morning. Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews close 25th Street at West 3rd Avenue for a water main break near 26th Street and Junction Street Thursday morning.Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews close 25th Street near West Second Avenue to clear ice from the road way caused by a broken water main l near 26th Street Thursday morning.Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
Crews work to locate a valve while trying to stop a water main break near 26th Street and Junction Street Thursday morning.Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews work to clear 25th Street of ice caused by a broken water main Thursday morning.Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
City of Durango crews work to clear 25th Street of ice caused by a broken water main Thursday morning.Photo Shaun Stanley/Durango Herald
A water main break gushed 1.1 million gallons early Thursday in Durango, much of which turned to ice in and around Miller Middle School’s parking lot and access roads.
Durango School District 9-R bused students to the La Plata County Fairgrounds to start their day. The break did not damage the school, but it did create access issues, said Julie Popp, district spokeswoman.
The city of Durango closed the intersection at 25th Street and West Second Avenue to deal with the water main break.
Durango Utilities Director Steve Salka said temperatures dipped to almost 10 below zero overnight Wednesday – so cold that as soon as water hit the surface it froze and encased a valve box crews needed to access to turn off the flow. The break was reported about 4 a.m., and water wasn’t shut off until almost 10 a.m.
The city used propane flames to melt the ice.
“The cold is what’s really slowing us down,” Salka said Thursday morning. “It just gets so bitter cold at night and the ground is shifting and it’s snapping out these pipes, and that’s what’s hurting us.”
Pipe breaks have been an ongoing problem for the city this winter. Salka said the frost layer is moving deeper into the ground, which shifts the ground and pulls and bends the iron pipes. When replacing them, it’s important to use pipes that can flex and bend more than the existing pipes in the ground, he said.
The pipe that burst Thursday morning had a crack that was almost 10 feet in length, he said.
City crews were up until at least 2 a.m. Thursday dealing with another water main break in the 2900 block of Mesa Avenue, near Riverview Elementary School. That break unleashed 200,000 gallons of water, he said.
“I was freezing to death last night, and I wasn’t soaking wet,” Salka said. “When you look at your guys and all they want is, ‘Get me out of this cold water, I can’t take it much longer,’ it’s tough. The public doesn’t realize what these guys go through to make sure they have water the next day.”
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