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RIVERDALE — A malfunction in a drinking water well had the appearance of a geyser shooting water straight through the top of a building Monday morning.
An official said a coupling and a pipe stand came loose in the Riverdale facility, causing a break that sent water gushing 50-60 feet in the air.
"Looked over there, and it had blown the top right off the building," said Russ Layton, who witnessed the event.
Brad Nelson, municipal and industrial water manager for the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, said up to a half-million gallons may have been lost in the break. There was a lot of drinking water lost, but not enough to cause a strain on the system. Crews, however, were able to reroute water so no residents were affected.
The facility takes drinking water straight from a well, chlorinates it and sends it to customers, Nelson said.
"We've run this well station for 10 years without any problems," he said.
Nelson said he doesn't know yet what caused the coupling to come loose and that it could take up to eight weeks to repair the station. The well is one of 18 in the district, and area residents should not be without water in the meantime.
Layton, general manager of Tony Divino Toyota Scion, witnessed the incident along with several employees.
"I was across the street … and looked out and it was shooting right out of the top of the building," Layton said. "A lot of water lost, unfortunately for this time of year when we're trying to conserve water."
Repairs could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Contributing: Mike Anderson
Top Video Credit: Joseph McBride
