The city of Durango is asking schools and other large users of municipal water to voluntarily limit their water use while the city waits for parts to be delivered to repair a 30-inch raw water pipe that was damaged last week.
A city news release published Wednesday afternoon says possible residential water use restrictions could be issued by Monday. For now, the city is asking entities such as Fort Lewis College, Durango School District 9-R and Hillcrest Golf Course to limit their water use for irrigation.
The city itself is a major water user and will limit its own use, particularly for parks that are used less frequently by the public, the release says.
The request for voluntary limited water use was made after water in the city’s Terminal Reservoir near FLC fell by 8 million gallons, leaving only 70 million gallons in the reservoir, according to the release. The city’s drought management plan says when water levels drop below 70 million gallons, the city should provide education about water conservation to the public and issue public notices of possible water restrictions.
Since Monday, Terminal Reservoir on College Mesa dropped from its normal 24 feet at the intake area to about 22 feet, said Allison Baker, public works director, at the Durango City Council meeting Wednesday.
“It is a small enough reservoir that we can see a significant difference if we’re not getting the refill during the summer that we need from the Animas River,” Baker said.
She said the Animas River pump at the Santa Rita Reclamation Facility had been running for three to four weeks when the break occurred last week, a “significant period” for it to be on.
The city’s primary water supply is the Florida River, although the city supplements its supply with water from the Animas River, she said.
The release says based on current depletion of water at Terminal Reservoir, stage 3 water restrictions could be entered into effect on Monday. That means the city manager could declare a water shortage and give the city staff authority to enforce the restrictions.
Stage 3 water restrictions prohibit hydrant washing and flushing, including for fire training purposes; watering and irrigation; and street sweeping or cleaning, according to the city’s drought management plan.
Stage 4 water restrictions are even stricter. They include a public notice for the city of Durango and Ute Pass to eliminate all nonessential potable water use, and any and all outdoor water use other than for emergency response. Water fountains, whether indoor or outdoor, are required to be turned off as well.
The water restrictions have come about because of a break or damage to a 30-inch raw water pipe that transports water from the Animas River up the cliffside on Goeglein Gulch Road to the reservoir, the release says. The damage occurred on June 29 while Terminal Reservoir was being filled.
Residents have used 8 million gallons since June 29. The reservoir has dropped from 78 million gallons to 70 million gallons as of Wednesday, the release says.
Justin Elkins, city utilities manager, said repair parts for the pipe are en route and repairs are expected to begin Friday.
“To locate the failed section of pipe, we filled the Goeglein pipe with water and measured the pressure at Santa Rita, which gives us a general location based on the elevation within 5 feet,” he says in the release. “But plus or minus 5 feet of elevation is almost 50-100 feet of pipe run under the road. We will have to break up a lot of asphalt, and Goeglein will remain closed for another week at least.”
If closed for another week, it would be at least July 12 before the road is reopened.
Baker said a contractor is excavating ground on Goeglein Gulch Road to find the damaged pipe, which is buried about 10 feet and wrapped in plastic.
“We’re optimistic that there’s only one break,” she said. “There wasn’t any sign that led us to believe there would be more than one. But until you fix the one and turn it back on, there’s no guarantees.”
It shouldn’t take long for regular city, residential and commercial operations and activities to resume after repairs are complete, Elkins said. But another day or two of restrictions on lawn watering might be kept in place.
City crews haven’t identified a cause for the damaged pipe, although Tom Sluis, city spokesman, said last week shifting soils after a wet winter could be the culprit.
cburney@durangoherald.com
