NEWS

Sewage gushes 'like a fountain' near Horsetooth Reservoir

Jason Pohl
jasonpohl@coloradoan.com

Brian Donnelly and Chris Armstrong will forever have putrid memories of the Fourth of July after hundreds of gallons of raw sewage gurgled from the ground in front of their home overlooking Horsetooth Reservoir.

Hundreds of gallons of raw sewage gurgled from this manhole near Horsetooth Reservoir on Monday, July 4, 2016.

About 10:45 a.m. Monday, a breeze carried the potent smell of sewage across their property at the intersection of Larimer County Road 38E and Deer Trail Court. Moments later, they spotted the culprit — a manhole cover in the driveway spewing a seemingly endless supply of raw sewage onto the dirt road and then down the hill toward the reservoir's swarming holiday crowds.

Raw sewage "was boiling over like a fountain," Armstrong said from her doorstep Monday afternoon while crews worked to isolate the leak.

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Poudre Fire Authority crews got to the scene first. The sewage spew slowed for a bit and then picked back up, raising concerns that the flow of potentially hundreds of gallons of sewage would run down a gully to the marina at the bottom of the hill and then into the reservoir.

The flow eased, and firefighters along with personnel from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment and Spring Canyon Water and Sanitation District concocted plans to build a berm at the bottom of the hill to stop any additional sewage from reaching the water. The flow did not reach the reservoir, and crews stopped the leak in the afternoon and determined there were rocks in the line, said Katie O'Donnell, county health department spokeswoman.

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Construction has been ongoing in the area. Crews repaired the pumps and monitored the situation through the evening.

There was no ongoing threat to public safety or water contamination, O'Donnell said.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking new for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.