Mt. Bachelor reopens; water tests come back OK

(Update: Mt. Bachelor plans Friday reopening, but water not ready to use; test results awaited)

Mt. Bachelor reopened Friday after a day-long closure prompted by a ruptured water line that crews repaired below the West Village parking lot — and officials got the all clear of water samples, so a “bring your own water” advisory was lifted.

“We’re reopening tomorrow,” resort spokesman Drew Jackson told NewsChannel 21 as he crafted an announcement late Thursday afternoon.

However, the resort said the results of water sample tests required after such water pipe breaks must be received before there is an all-clear to drink or use the water. That came Friday morning, Jackson said.

On Thursday, the resort had said, “Until the test results are returned, you should not drink any tap water at Mt. Bachelor’s base lodges. Signs will be posted and, where possible, water fountains will be turned off. The Mt. Bachelor food & beverage department will not be using any water in its cooking or cleaning operations without boiling it first.

“We recommend that you bring your own drinking water with you to the mountain on Friday,” they added.

Earlier, officials said, “Crews have successfully repaired the broken pipe and water is flowing through our system again.”

“We need to follow a standard set of procedures following an outage, however, including flushing the system, collecting a water sample and sending it to a lab for testing. That process is underway now,” Jackson wrote.

Mt. Bachelor’s main water line ruptured three feet beneath the West Village parking lot early Thursday, prompting a day-long closure of the resort.

The staff found around 6:45 a.m. that there was no water in the resort facilities, Jackson said — and around the same time, snow removal crews found a bulging area in the parking lot.

On a blue-sky day with lots of fresh powder, hundreds or more would-be skiers and snowboarders were turned back due on Century Drive due to the problem as crews repaired the leak, located next to the administration building.

“This is the main line from our well to the underground storage reservoir, which feeds water to every building and outlet on the mountain,” the resort said in an update on its website.

“Repair work is underway, thanks to the speedy efforts of our own crews and specialty contractors who arrived quickly this morning,” it added.

The closure also included uphill travel, Mt. Bachelor officials said.

“We sincerely apologize for the disruption to those of you who had plans to visit today,” the resort added.