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Airport board orders well test after leaks shut off hangar water; short-term access arranged
Summary
Board members discussed repeated supply-line leaks at airport hangars and agreed to test the joint well, seek local engineering analysis and pursue short-term access for tenants while long-term options (trenching new supply lines or reconfiguring terminal facilities) are evaluated.
Scott Ward, chair of the Park County Airport Board, told members the pump contractor isolated leaking supply lines that had repeatedly failed during repair work and that no potable water currently flows to several hangars. "We had...every single line when they would block and isolate the lines had leaks," Ward said, summarizing the contractor's findings.
Hangar tenant Gabriel told the board he was not notified before the water was shut off and said the interruption threatened revenue-generating services at his hangar. "I was never notified of a leak or any back pressure issue…all of a sudden it was just we have wall problems, the water was shut off," Gabriel said, urging clearer communication.
Technical adviser Lance noted that the airport’s shared well could meet the regulatory threshold for a public water supply — “It's 15 service connections or if you regularly have 25 people pass through your terminal building in any 60 days,” he said — which would trigger additional testing and ongoing monitoring requirements. Lance recommended engaging a local professional engineer to analyze usage, trigger points and separation distances for any public water-supply well option.
The board agreed on immediate, pragmatic steps: (1) pursue short-term access for affected tenants (Chair Ward said a board member offered space at his hangar for essential dishwashing and laundry), (2) commission a bacteria/coliform test of the joint well (board staff estimated basic sampling would likely cost “a few hundred dollars”), and (3) request an engineering analysis to estimate future demand and costs for bringing the system into compliance or for alternative approaches such as encouraging individual hangar owners to provide separate wells.
Board members discussed cost and scope trade-offs. Ward said replacing the buried supply line could run into tens of thousands of dollars for several hundred feet of trenching and excavation. The board did not commit funds at the meeting but asked staff to obtain testing quotes and preliminary engineering estimates for discussion at a future meeting.
The board also directed staff to examine lease language and the board’s authority to make short-term emergency repairs while the bylaws and joint-resolution authorities are under review. The board will revisit the issue once testing and engineering estimates are available; in the meantime the board arranged interim access to facilities to limit disruption to hangar tenants.
