Businesses, Homes Without Water After Major Water Main Break
DENVER (CBS4) - Repairs have been made on a large water main break that left dozens of homes and businesses in Denver without water much of the day Friday. All lanes of 6th Avenue are back open after repairs were completed around 3 a.m. Saturday.
An original cast iron pipe underneath 6th Avenue between Grant and Logan Streets burst on Friday morning.
A Denver Water spokesperson said the pipe was more than a century old. Crews expected to restore water to the nearby residents and businesses by 6 p.m. Friday but the repairs didn't hold the first time and crews had to continue work into the early morning.
Workers had to cut out and replace an 18-foot section of old piping. In order to get to the broken pipe, crews dug a giant hole into the pavement.
A flood gushed down 6th Avenue when the pipe broke.
Denver Water crews shut off the flow as they worked to repair the pipe.
Without water, nearby businesses had to close.
"We need a lot of water to cook," said David Melhotra at Little India. "So we stopped cooking now."
Melhotra had to shut down the restaurant on what would normally be its busiest day of the week.
"We're going to lose a lot of customers and a lot of money today," Melhotra said.
Restaurant staff had to turn away more than 50 customers in just the first hour of normal operating business hours. More than 30 restaurant employees went home from work.
"The disappointment to our customers is our primary concern," said Craig Conner at Pablo's Coffee, located six blocks away from the water main break.
Customers showing up there to get their cup of morning joe were also turned away.
"I'm adjusting just fine," Conner said. "It's just disappointing that people count on the coffee being here. And it's kind of a wake-up call."
While workers were not able to determine the exact cause of the break, Denver Water officials believe it broke due to its very old age.
The pipe was installed in 1890. Crews expected to begin repairing the road at 6 p.m.
6th Avenue is a one-way street that runs east.
Melissa Garcia has been reporting for CBS4 News since March 2014. Find her bio here, follow her on Twitter @MelissaGarciaTV, or send your story idea to mkgarcia@cbs.com.
