Water gushes out of a fire hydrant May 7 near I-225 and East Mississippi Avenue. During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

The Cache La Village Inn is set to run dry later today.

For the past day and a half, a fire hydrant in the parking behind the Village Inn at Interstate 225 and East Mississippi Avenue has run nonstop — dumping more than 38,000 of gallons into the gutter.

Water gushes out of a fire hydrant May 7 near I-225 and East Mississippi Avenue. During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Water gushes out of a fire hydrant May 7 near I-225 and East Mississippi Avenue. During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Water gushes out of a fire hydrant May 7 near I-225 and East Mississippi Avenue. During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Water gushes out of a fire hydrant May 7 near I-225 and East Mississippi Avenue. During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)
Water gushes out of a fire hydrant May 7 near I-225 and East Mississippi Avenue. During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. (Marla R. Keown/Aurora Sentinel)

We got a call in the newsroom about the free-flowing hydrant this afternoon from an Aurora man perturbed that in a city where water department officials regularly bang the conservation drum, the city seemed to be dumping gallons upon gallons of water.

The man said the hydrant had been gushing for three days, but water officials told me this afternoon that it had been running since about 6:15 a.m. Tuesday, dumping about 20 gallons per minute.

Greg Baker at Aurora Water said the water department popped open the hydrant to relieve pressure further down the line. The pressure had to be relieved as part of the ongoing construction along I-225, Baker told me, and the hydrant should be closed today.

During the massive droughts in 2003 and 2004, Baker said water officials looked into ways to recapture water in scenarios like this, but determined it wasn’t worth the cost to capture the water and transport it somewhere else. Plus, Baker said, the water eventually flows into rivers and streams where the city can eventually treat it and re-use it.

— Brandon Johansson, staff writer