Denver Water is handing out drinking water to west Denver residents who lost service when a 30-inch water main near Lakewood Gulch was ruptured.
Denver Water also issued a boil-water advisory, which is expected to be in effect until at least Friday afternoon, spokeswoman Stacy Chesney said.
The boil advisory was issued because of the loss of pressure, which can introduce disease-causing organisms into the water system.
The area affected by the advisory is bounded by West 10th Avenue and West 24th Avenue and Federal Boulevard and Tennyson Street.
Chesney said that Denver Water will be going door-to-door this afternoon to advise residents and businesses. If no one is home, a notice will be left on the door of the residence. The utility also used reverse-911 calls to let residents know about the boil advisory.
In addition, Chesney said that drinking water will be provided to residents until at least 10 p.m. tonight at Cheltenham Elementary School, 1580 Julian St., and at Sloan’s Lake Park, off 17th Avenue near the tennis courts.
The “boil water” order means that the water must be boiled before drinking. The water department says water should be allowed to boil for three minutes and then cooled before drinking. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation. The boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.
People with severely compromised immune systems, infants and some elderly may be at increased risk.
Chesney said contractors working on a light-rail line to the western suburbs broke a 30-inch water main near Lakewood Gulch and Sanchez parks, cutting water service to homes in the neighborhood this morning.
The broken main sent cascades of water down Lakewood Gulch from the break below a newly completed traffic bridge near Knox Court at West 12th Avenue.
Chesney said the break was discovered at about 10 a.m. The main is one of the larger conduits in the city’s water system.
Denver Water has engineers and repair and safety workers on the scene as the utility works to reroute water from other mains in the area to restore service to homes, spokesman Matt Bond said.
Utility managers do not know when the water service will be restored.
Nina Moody, who lives in the 1300 block of Knox Court, said she woke up about 9 a.m. and realized her taps were dry when her 3-year-old son, Robert Rubio, tried to flush the toilet.
She said she and her son had planned to go to the store this morning, but couldn’t because they could not shower. Around noon, Robert was in his front yard playing, still dressed in his pajamas.
“It is kind of inconvenient because we would have been dressed already,” Moody said.
She said some water seemed to be flowing from her faucets around noon.
Contractors for Denver Transit Construction Group, which is building the West Corridor light-rail line from Denver to Lakewood and Golden, had just completed a bridge widening project as part of their work preparing to lay track, spokeswoman Kathy Berumen said.
Chesney said a subcontractor for the Denver Transit Construction Group will repair the water main.
Denver Water said residents will receive a reverse-911 call when test show that drinking water is safe for consumption without boiling.
For more information, Denver Water can be contacted at 303-893-2444.Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
