Those pipes along Colo. 66 protect water lines
Here’s a column was first published on Jan. 3, 2021.
Hello Johnnie: I am curious regarding this pipes I see along the rights of way on both sides of Colo. 66. They are roughly 6- to 8-inches in diameter and extend from below ground about 3 feet before turning into a U. It appears they are there to vent something that is underground. Any idea what these are? — David from Lyons
HELLO DAVID FROM LYONS >> I do have an idea what these are. You are not the first person to ask.
You are, however, the first to estimate the diameter and height of those pipes, and you’re quite close The opening on the pipe is 6½ inches. The top of the curve on the pipe I measured is about 4½ feet above ground level.
Except for those that are labeled as being exhaust for drilling in the area — which I suspect are, well, exhaust for drilling — those pipes are connected to water line air vacuum valves.
Back in 2010, I checked out those pipes along Colo. 66 and discovered that they are not sealed, and that the underside of that upside-down “U” is covered with tight wire mesh. I figured that they were intended for air flow.
At the time, I checked with Dale Rademacher, Longmont’s director of Public Works & Natural Resources. He said that the pipes are connected to air vacuum valves on underground water pipelines.
“These valves protect the pipelines from potentially being damaged in case of a loss of pressure within the pipeline that could result in the creation of a negative, or vacuum, pressure within the pipeline,” Rademacher wrote Johnnie at the time. “The above-ground pipes allow for air to enter into the pipeline in the event water pressure is lost.”
These vents, he said, are typically installed on large-diameter water transmission lines, which are more susceptible to being damaged as a result of a vacuum condition occurring.
Thanks for the question, David from Lyons, and happy new year!