NORTHERN UTAH — SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City resident who watched water run into the street for more than a month reached out to FOX 13 with a simple question: Why wasn’t it being fixed?
David Bourdon said he first noticed the steady flow near 600 South and 500 West weeks ago and reported it to the city.
“We’re constantly being told to slow the flow, to conserve water,” Bourdon said. “And then we have this going on.”
Salt Lake City Public Utilities confirmed Friday that the leak is treated drinking water and said it has likely been running for closer to two months.
The department estimated the amount of water escaping is roughly equivalent to two or three garden hoses running continuously.
“So two or three garden hoses running for two months — that’s a lot of water,” FOX 13’s Suzanne Stevens asked during an interview.
“It can add up, for sure,” said Jason Brown, Deputy Director at Public Utilities.
Brown says the leak has not been treated like a major water main break because it is controlled and hasn't shut down the roadway or created an immediate emergency.
“We have to triage our leaks because of the amount of work that we have to do in other areas,” Brown said.
The location has also complicated the repair.
The leak sits in Utah Department of Transportation right-of-way along 600 South, a heavily traveled route into downtown Salt Lake City. The city says crews need access to two lanes to complete the work.
UDOT spokesperson John Gleason said daytime restrictions are designed to keep traffic moving during peak commute periods.
“The hours that we wouldn’t be able to take more than one lane are during those daytime hours — the peak travel times,” Gleason said.
UDOT said those same restrictions do not apply overnight or on weekends.
Gleason also said a UDOT inspector working around a Rocky Mountain Power project in the area identified the Salt Lake City water line leak and notified the city.
Public Utilities says it is now looking at nighttime work and plans to do more than simply patch the problem. Crews intend to relocate the leaking valve so future access is easier.
The leak is also located along the 500 West Granary District corridor the city has identified for major future improvements.
Public Utilities said the specific pipe involved in the leak is not part of that project, but the department does attribute the failed valve to aging infrastructure.
The city says the repair is scheduled to begin Sept. 14.
For Bourdon, the explanation does not erase his frustration after watching the water continue to flow week after week.
“Come on, people,” he said. “Five or six weeks is a bit long.”
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