Water Main Break Raises Concerns Of Aging Pipes

DENVER (CBS4)- Crews finished repairs to a street on Monday afternoon after a massive water main break over the weekend left businesses and homes flooded.

A 24-inch conduit underground on 29th Avenue and Zuni Street burst open around noon Saturday, sending a gushing geyser of water through the streets of the Highlands near downtown Denver.

A stretch of 29th Avenue remained closed through Monday morning, longer than expected, as workers were filling the giant hole in the ground where the pipeline broke.

Denver Water told CBS4 the repairs and road would be reopened just after noon.

The main cause of the break is aging infrastructure. That section dates back 130 years. The same area was the location of a massive break in May 2013.

Denver Water budgets about $11 million a year to fix problem pipes. About 60,000 feet of pipe was replaced last year. The latest break will continue the conversation about a solution to aging pipes and valves in the city.

"We'll take that information, what we learned from the pipe, how disruptive it was for the community and start to look and see, does it make sense for us to come in and replace this section of the pipe or are there other things we can do? There are a lot of valves in this area that are also old," said Denver Water spokesman Travis Thompson.

Although Denver Water is not responsible for damage resulting from the water main break, per board policy Denver Water could pay up to $8,000 for damage to personal property resulting from the break.