Editor’s note: This story is by Auria Alvarado, a member of Denver Water’s Community Relations team who leads the outreach efforts on behalf of our crews who work to repair and maintain the 3,000 miles of pipe in our distribution system. 

We know that everything tends to slow down in the snow. 

From requiring you to spend time in your day for shoveling, starting the car and driving in slower traffic, to managing delayed or canceled school and appointments — frigid snow days typically impact all of us. Not to mention dealing with those aching joints from moving snow. 

Well, construction projects are no different. 

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Denver Water has a robust preventive maintenance and pipe replacement program involving over 20 crews. 

These maintenance and replacement projects are designed to have the least amount of impact on our customers in the area as possible. We aim to avoid extended water outages for the community and we try to only impact traffic during approved working hours. 

This effort allows us to adjust to challenging weather conditions as needed. 

See the ice and snow Denver Water crews frequently encounter as they work to keep the water flowing.

If snow and freezing temperatures cause safety challenges for our crews, residents and commuters — or if we can’t easily see markings on the ground indicating where underground utilities are buried — we are able to adjust by delaying work if it isn’t impacting water service. 

While we’ve enjoyed the recent moisture from a water supply standpoint (our water supply managers are pleased with the many inches of snow that have fallen), the snowy start to 2023 has resulted in some projects across the metro area experiencing delays and extended the length of time we’re present in many neighborhoods. 

We know this can be frustrating. 

And while the projects themselves may be delayed, crews are working to maintain project sites during this time. In some cases, snow and ice accumulation can impact our trenches and street patches, so crews are keeping an eye on those and repairing any temporary work as needed — even as they navigate the inconsistent schedules caused by the weather. 

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Additionally, these same crews are responding to emergency repair situations to ensure we are providing a reliable water supply to all our customers — no matter how bad the weather is. 

It’s not unusual to have our crews respond to water main breaks in the middle of the night when temperatures are below freezing, and the snow is flying. 

Neither ice nor snow stops the Denver Water Emergency Services team.

Please be patient with our Denver Water crews and projects and let us know if something needs attention.

For more information, contact Denver Water Customer Care at 303-893-2444, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or visit denverwater.org/Pipes. For after-hours emergencies, call 303-628-6801.