Accident cuts water service to as many as 1,500 homes west of Santa Fe

Santa Fe County issued a precautionary boil advisory for subdivisions north and west of the city Tuesday afternoon after a water transmission line was damaged, causing a loss of water Tuesday for as many as 1,500 homes.

Water service in the county utility system’s West Sector — covering the subdivisions of La Tierra, La Mariposa, Las Campanas Estates, La Serena, Tessera, Northwest Ranches, Salva Tierra, Tiera de Oro, Los Sueños Sonrisa and Aldea — was affected by the line break.

The water line was expected to be repaired Tuesday night, the county release said, and water would be available for use beginning at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The county said no contaminants of concern had been detected but advised residents to boil their water for one minute before “drinking, cooking, washing fruits and vegetables, feeding a baby, brushing teeth, preparing drinks, making ice and providing drinking water for pets.”

The county said it would issue a notification within 24 hours that affected water lines have been sufficiently disinfected, according to the release. The precautionary advisory would be rescinded then.

A city-hired construction contractor, RMCI Inc., ruptured the 16-inch water line Tuesday morning while installing a new parallel water line that eventually will move more water to both city and county water users, city spokesman Matt Ross said.

The boil advisory applied only to the county’s West Sector; no other surrounding water systems were affected.