A waterline leak near Big Picture High School forced students to relocate on Wednesday and Thursday to the Impact Career Innovation Center at Durango High School.
At about 1 p.m. Tuesday, the city of Durango detected a water leak in the Durango Tech Center area, where Big Picture is located. The city advised school staff members that the water needed to be turned off as they investigated the leak.
As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, the city was still investigating the cause of the leak, said Laura Reick, public outreach coordinator for the city’s public works department. Crews were working on the leak just south of the high school on Wednesday.
“We do not know the cause and repair timing of the waterline,” said 9-R spokeswoman Karla Sluis.
District Operations Officer Chris Coleman is in contact with the city and waiting for updates, she said.
Students spent the remainder of the day at the Impact Center.
On late Wednesday night, the district alerted families and students that they would continue to attend school at the Impact center on Thursday. On Thursday, Sluis said it’s likely students will finish the week at Impact but nothing has been finalized.
“The City of Durango is currently testing the water for drinking safety. Until the testing is complete, we will bring in bottled water for the students to drink,” the district said in an email Wednesday night.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
