UPDATE: Water Spout likely just a Freeze-Thaw Drainage Issue

By Soren Wuerth

TNews Editor

A gushing fountain of water near Girdwood's School was likely due to a backed-up french drain and is outside city water utility's purview, according to a local official.

"It appears it is a curtain drain, or a French drain, that helps drain water from the school play field," Kyle Kelley, Girdwood's service area manager, wrote in an email.

"The Field drain was probably frozen underground and built up pressure with the spring melt, and got over 1.5 inches of rain yesterday in that storm cycle," Kelley wrote. "It finally broke open and gushed out from the water buildup, giving the appearance of a broken pipe."

Kelley said by the time he inspected the area, water was "back to flowing slowly out under the vegetated mat like it was installed to do."

A spokesperson for AWWU said the draining water was not part of its infrastructure.