New water pipeline springs leak

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Wednesday, May 6, 1998 | 9:52 a.m.

The Las Vegas Valley Water District Board has approved an estimated $80,000 in repairs to a major pipeline, one of two supplying drinking water to Southern Nevada, which began leaking in mid-April.

The board learned Tuesday that the 12-foot-wide pipe started leaking around April 15. Water District General Manager Pat Mulroy declared an emergency on April 17. Without an emergency, Mulroy cannot spend more than $25,000.

Deputy General Manager David Donnelly said the new pipe, drawing water from Lake Mead through the River Mountains southeast of Las Vegas, had defective couplings. The pipe was expected to begin delivering water again today.

The pipe, less than a year old, had couplings designed to provide flexibility during earthquakes. Nevada is the third most quake-prone state after California and Alaska.

An estimated 4 million gallons of water has been lost due to the leak. That's enough water to serve 12 families for a year. The water system delivers an average 330 million gallons a day.

If the leak had occurred during hot summer months, the water district could have been forced to declare a water emergency and asked residents to curb outdoor watering and other water-intensive activities.