Water leak proves a tough customer

A motorist and other onlookers take a moment to look a the deformed road after a waterline broke Monday morning along U.S. Highway 66 in Gallup. Another water leak incident occured about a block away ealier in the morning. Officials speculated that the two events were related. Area businesses lost water because of the incident. [Photo by Daniel Zollinger/Independent]

By Leslie Wood
Staff Writer

GALLUP — City crews were expected to have repaired both waterline ruptures along east U.S. Highway 66 by 8 p.m. Monday.

Lance Allgood, the director of Gallup Joint Utilities, said crews fixed the leak that was reported at about 9:45 a.m. on Monday by about 4 p.m., but worked on addressing the first, more complicated rupture near the intersection of Miyamura and U.S. 66 until the evening hours.

Crews used acoustic leak detection equipment to determine the location of the leak, but their efforts were complicated by the ruckus caused by oncoming traffic.

Ernest Thompson, water and waste-water superintendent for Gallup Joint Utilities, said city employees cut through nearly 30 feet of reinforced concrete to find the first leak. Thompson said crews were in the process of installing a new valve and replacing a portion of the water pipe.

Allgood said the leak was most likely at a location in the waterline that has leaked before.

"Often times, that's a suspect area for a future leak," Allgood said.

The second leak was attributed to corrosion, which caused a hole to form in the pipe. The problem was fixed with the replacement of some bolts and joints in the pipe that serves the businesses along Historic Route 66.

Thompson said water service should have been restored to businesses by Monday evening.

City crews will work in connection with the streets department this week to fix the portion of the roadway damaged by the leak and its repair. A portion of the roadway buckled due to one leak. Traffic was kept from the area by stratigically placed organge cones.

"We'll stay out here until we get everything restored," Thompson said.

Thompson has said the rupture was no ordinary leak because it occurred in a main waterline and during a time when many tourists are in the area due to the Wrangle Junior High Radio.

"These things usually happen in the back roads," he said.

Anna Dallago, the manager of El Rancho restaurant, said her business was not affected by the rupture, although it's located across the street from the more severe leak.

"That's not to say in an hour something won't happen," Dallago said, " but right now, we have working water."

But as of midafternoon on Monday, it was business as usual for the restaurant.

Officials for Creamland Dairy, which is located next to the leak, did not return a request for comment from The Independent.