GOLDEN, Colo. — More than a week after the Jefferson County Administration and Courts Facility building flooded, the county is still trying to assess the damage.
“It’s incredible when you think that one pipe could release 200 gallons in one minute. And that went on for 15 minutes, and the crews were immediately able to turn off the water,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Lesley Dahlkemper.
The fire sprinkler line break happened just after 7 a.m. on July 27. It directly affected CASA, Pretrial and Court Services, and the Sheriff’s Office Civil Unit.
However, Dahlkemper said it could have been much worse.
“Those offices were relocated immediately and services were restored Tuesday afternoon. So there’s very little interruption in service, and that was really important to us,” she said. “We are so grateful to our facilities team and the work they did.”
They’ve now turned their attention to a more long-term fix.
“It is a challenge when you have a building that’s 27 years old, including those pipes,” Dahlkemper said.
She says it will be at least another eight weeks before the county can address all of the issues.
“Right now, our county is facing $16.1 million in budget reductions, so we don’t know what the total damage will be. We’re assessing that right now, and then we’ll take a look at how we’ll pay for it,” Dahlkemper said.
Laura Wilson wrote this report.