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Water service disruption in Minturn is related to 70,000-gallon leak from January

This hole, which is smaller than a dime, caused a 70,000 gallon water leak in Minturn in January. If a service line is compromised and a leak is found in the town of Minturn, property owners are given five days to repair it.
Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily

A water leak that occurred in January is still creating problems in Minturn, causing a temporary shutoff on Tuesday which resulted in a boil water notice being sent to residents.

The original leak occurred on Jan. 19 when a hole formed in a pipe on the Union Pacific Railroad property near the intersection of Main Street and Cemetery Road, on a water line that was no longer being used. The hole – which was smaller than a Roosevelt dime – caused a 70,000-gallon water leak and required a massive undertaking to locate.

Town Manager Michelle Metteer said immediate repairs were able to be made in January, but a complete fix had to wait until the spring.



On Tuesday, “crews working to now properly disconnect the old waterline accidentally caused the temporary shutoff to the system resulting in the need for the boil water notice,” Metteer said. “Water samples have already been taken down to Denver for testing and the town will await the results prior to lifting the boil water notice.”

Metteer said the Minturn Public Works Department helped the contracted crew return water service, and Eagle County Environmental Health also provided immediate support on Tuesday.

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The original leak occurred on private property and was a reminder to everyone in town that the maintenance of private water service lines is the responsibility of the property owner.

“We do ask that folks keep up to date on the quality of their service lines,” Metteer said.

If a service line is compromised and a leak is found in the town of Minturn, property owners are given five days to repair it, Metteer said.

Similar water lines which are decades old and no longer being used should be removed completely rather than capped, Meteer said. Town officials plan to locate and update as many of those old lines as possible this summer.


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