A two-feet wide water main broke at West 29th Avenue and Zuni Street Saturday around noon, soaking roads, cars and businesses and sending a river of water down from the Lower Highland neighborhood toward Interstate 25 and the South Platte River.
Denver Water spokesman Jimmy Luthye said the agency is working to turn off the last of the water and then will be able to investigate the cause. He couldn’t say how many houses lacked water at this time or estimate the amount of water that went rushing down the streets. But he did say it was safe to say a lot.
“This time of year, we’ll see a little bit of an uptake (of breaks), just with the temperature swings,” Luthye said, adding, “We do have an aging infrastructure in Denver.”
Water rushed down West 29th Avenue, hooked down 15th Street and pooled around Platte Street, flooding a parking lot next to the Natural Grocers and making its way inside the store below the grocery, Confluence Kayaks.
While walking through a couple inches of water that still covered the floor, shop owner Jonathan Kahn said the staff had removed merchandise from the floor but some inventory was ruined — the kayaks made it, though.
Store employee Max Campbell took the opportunity to grab a kayak and paddle around the roughly two feet of water in the parking lot. At one point, he helped a Natural Grocer employee get something from her car.
“It’s not the cleanest water to go in but I’ve paddled worse,” he said.
Denver fire shift commander Bob Kmak said at least three buildings had flooded basements. Power was shut off to those buildings but as of 2 p.m., two had power returned.
Denver Water said West 29th Avenue was closed between Zuni and Umatilla streets.
: Water main break causing several road closures W 29th Ave from Zuni to Umatilla & in area of 15th St/Platte St. Please avoid areas
— Denver Police Dept. (@DenverPolice)
A river runs through it – it being 29th Avenue. Water main break.
— Eric Gorski (@egorski)
