Water main breaks in Aspen

A water main break was reported on Friday between N. First and Aspen streets, according to a 9:49 a.m. Pitkin County alert.

People were being asked to avoid the area.

Emily Ford, the city’s communication specialist, said that crews have been in the field, actively working through the problem.

“Our water crews are on site and have confirmed that no customers are out of water at this time,” said Ford. “Staff anticipate this would only affect a limited number of customers. Crews will continue working on this until the leak is fixed.”

Justin Forman, director of utilities for the city, said that water main break was caused by the older cast iron pipe being prone to breaking under certain conditions.

“This can occur around this time of year, when freezing temperatures lead to ground movement,” said Forman. “This can lead to additional stress on the pipes, resulting in breaks.”

Crews have estimated that the break will be fixed in approximately five hours on Friday afternoon but stated at the time they would not leave until the issue is resolved.

Ford wanted to thank the traveling public and community for their patience while the city worked to fix this leak.