JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Some families in the Jefferson County community of Indian Hills have been without water for more than a week.
The Indian Hills Water District discovered a leak on January 18. Crews have been trying to access the water line ever since.
Doing the dishes is not as easy as it used to be for Cindy Richardson and her family.
After calling the community of Indian Hills home for 20 years, she said they’ve dealt with an occasional water mishap.
“We had no water one time Christmas Eve when I was trying to get dinner ready, which was a little bit of a nightmare,” said Richardson.
But never have they been without water for more than a week, without a drop from their faucets.
This week, Richardson took her dishes to work and made stops at her family and friends' homes for showers and laundry.
“We got my brother-in-law is on a well up here. So, we go to his house to shower. I went and visited a friend this week with a load of laundry. It’s been a journey,” she said.
The water woes started the night of January 18 when the water district detected a leak in its system. A notice went out to neighbors which said a fix was anticipated within 48 hours. Now nine days later, crews are still having a hard time accessing the water line which is on a very steep hillside.
“I think all of Indian Hills right now is in a very precarious boat. And we just have to be patient,” said Richardson.
Matt Wold, owner of Foothills Water Services and his team have been hauling roughly 30,000 gallons a day to the Indian Hills water office as temporary relief for residents.
“If you see like a big tanker on the road, that's usually about 6,000 gallons. So, it's roughly about four of those a day,” explained Wold.
The water district also set up a temporary source for homeowners, but the water in the area is high in nitrates making it unsafe for infants, and not safe for adults unless it's been boiled.
As the water woes drag on, Richardson fears it’s a problem that will only get worse.
“I think that's probably what we're going to do now is get a lot more involved in our water issues,” Richardson said.
The Indian Hills Water District is posting updates on the situation here.
