CASTLE PINES, Colo. — A boil water advisory that was put in place Wednesday for parts of Castle Pines has been lifted.
The advisory was put in place following a water line rupture that happened Tuesday night when construction crews were trying to connect a new water line to the existing system.
Some in Castle Pines woke up without water Wednesday morning. The boil water advisory was put in place hours later, and remained in place after water service was restored due to the potential for "disease-causing organisms" in water with low pressure.
Testing deemed the water safe on Thursday.
The Castle Pines North Metropolitan District listed steps that should be taken by those in residential communities and food service establishments after the boil water advisory was lifted:
Residents
- Run all cold water faucet taps for at least 5 minutes.
- Begin with the lowest faucet in your home and open faucets one at a time, moving from the lowest floor of your home to the highest.
- After five minutes, turn off your faucets in reverse order, from highest to lowest.
- Hot Water Faucets: To clear hot-water pipes and water heaters of untreated water, flush the hot water line for a minimum of 15 minutes for a typical household 40-gallon hot-water tank, 30 minutes for an 80-gallon hot water tank or larger.
- Dishwasher: After flushing the hot water pipes and water heater, run your dishwasher on empty one time.
- Ice machines: Dispose of any ice from before or during the boil order and flush the water feed lines by running the ice maker for 24 hours and disposing of this batch as well. Wipe down the ice bin with a disinfectant.
- Water dispensers on fridges: Water dispensers from refrigerators should be flushed through at least one quart of water. If unsure of your dispenser’s capacity, refer to manufacturer specifications.
- Humidifiers: Discard any water used in humidifiers, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), oral, medical, or health care devices, and rinse the device with clean water.
- Water filters: Replace all water filters.
Food Service Establishments
- Flush pipes throughout the facility by running each faucet with cold water for 5 minutes.
- Flush, clean, and sanitize appliances that use tap water (such as beverage dispensers, spray misters, coffee and tea urns, ice machines, glass washers, dishwashers) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.
- Flush hot water tanks.
- Run drinking fountains continuously for 5 minutes to flush the system.
- Replace and sanitize water filter cartridges according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Take proper steps to flush ice machines by following the manufacturer’s instructions, including:
- Throw out any remaining ice.
- Flush the water line to the machine inlet.
- Close the valve on the water line behind the machine.
- Disconnect the water line from the machine inlet.
- Open the valve and run 5 gallons of water through the valve.
- Dispose of the water.
- Close the valve.
The water line break happened when crews were working on the Monarch Waterline Rehabilitation Project. The construction project is underway between Castle Pines Parkway and Glen Oaks Avenue to replace a major water line that dates back to the mid 1980s, according to the city.
The project will tear out the concrete roadway and replace it with asphalt. It will improve the drainage and storm water infrastructure and drainage infrastructure, as well as install 4,300 feet of new water line. It will also install a six-foot bike lane.
"Completing both the road and water line projects at once saves both money and time by reducing the need to remove infrastructure to replace the line in the future," the City of Castle Pines said.