Avion Water Co. pipe springs a leak along Knott Road; million-gallon spill brings damage, boil-water notice

(Update: Added video)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A rock broke a buried Avion Water Co. pipeline near Knott Road in southern Bend Thursday afternoon, sending up to 1 million gallons of water spilling across the area, damaging two homes and leaving about 100 customers under a boil-water notice for a few days.

Avion Water Co. President Jason Wick told KTVZ News Friday that the spill occurred around 2 pm. Thursday, after a rock that had moved up against the 18-inch-wide PVC (plastic) pipe caused the break.

“They didn’t put the backfill in properly back in the day,” Wick said, adding that the pipe was installed back in the 1990s. “Over the years, the road vibration caused the rock to move” and come into contact with the pipe, eventually causing the leak, he said.

The Avion official estimated that 750,000 to 1 million gallons of water spilled before crews finished repairs around 9 p.m. Thursday.

Homes in the Woodside Ranch subdivision and other nearby neighborhoods north of Knott Road were affected by the boil-water notice.

Precautionary boil-water notices are issued after such leaks and repairs, as water samples are required to be submitted to a testing laboratory, to be sure it remains safe for drinking and other uses.

It should take about three days to get the test results and if cleared be able to lift the boil-water notice, Wick said.

Damage from the water spill was limited, according to Wick, and included two homes and “a little bit of damage” to the shoulder along Knott Road.