Emergency workers are scrambling to repair three water-main breaks in areas where traffic is not expected to be affected greatly, officials say.
“When it rains it pours. It all happens at once,” said Travis Thompson, spokesman for Denver Water.
The three water main breaks are as follows:
• South Raritan Street and West Evans Avenue. The westbound lanes between Pecos and Raritan are closed. Crews recently reopened the eastbound lane for traffic. An 8-inch main is being repaired.
• 3145 W. Cedar Ave, near the intersection of Federal Boulevard and Alameda. All traffic on the 3100 block of West Cedar Avenue is closed. No other impact. A 6-inch main is being repaired.
• West 10th and Quitman Street. Traffic is closed in both directions on 10th Avenue on either side of Quitman. An 8-inch main is being repaired.
Thompson said it will take between six to eight hours to make repairs and reopen streets in each location.
Despite almost continuous rain Wednesday and early Thursday, Thompson said it is unlikely rain caused the breaks in the lines, but a sudden drop in temperature could have contributed to the breaks.
“It’s not the rain. There’s really no rhyme or reason to when they break,” he said.
The two main causes of water main breaks are rapid temperature changes and corrosion, Thompson said.
Crews will close off water to the water mains, dig through pavement and the ground to reach the break points, repair the pipes, backfill and repave the streets.
“It’s definitely a lot of work,” Thompson said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206, kmitchell@denverpost.com or @kirkmitchell or case
