Denver apartment without running water for days, as failed pipe repairs cause flooding

Residents at Gables Vista Apartments in Denver's Cherry Creek district are nearing their fourth day without running water, with no end in sight. Many are also dealing with flooded apartments after a pipe repair failed twice.

Now, some residents are frustrated by what they say is poor communication on behalf of apartment management.

"I haven't had water since Thursday morning, about 7 or 8 a.m.," said Johnathan Margheret, a two-year Gables Vista resident. "Feels like camping, right? So we haven't showered, haven't used the bathroom in my apartment since then because we can't flush the toilet."

Gables Vista residents were told by management that the apartment's water would be shut off on Thursday for pipe repairs. Repairs took longer than expected, and management said water would be back on by Friday morning.

"Living off of bottled water, washing your hands with bottled water, trying to brush my teeth with it," Margheret said.

Instead, the pipes burst overnight, causing flooding on the fourth floor.

"I stepped onto the fourth floor and just kinda looked down, and it's basically just water coming down out of the ceiling," said Jack Stern, a four-year Gables Vista resident. "The water's pooling everywhere, and there's water damage, and the hallway's filled with water."

As apartment management scrambled to mitigate the flooding, they assured residents water would come back Friday night.

"By 6 a.m., when I took the dogs out, there were, you know, six or seven different water damage trucks," Stern said. "There's just people everywhere carrying fans."

But Saturday morning, management emailed to say the pipe repair had failed yet again, and they didn't know when water would be restored.

"It's disruptive. We can't really stay in one place. We have a dog. We're bouncing around between showers and stuff. It's just not fun," Stern said.

The email offered reimbursement for the purchase of water and hotels up to $225 a night, but management couldn't say if that reimbursement would be in the form of a gift card or rent credit.

"It seems more so like, 'Go and figure it out, and we might compensate you after,'" Margheret said.

"We booked a couple days just because I kinda had a feeling on Friday that this was not going to be going in the right direction," Stern said.

The apartment was only built in 2020, but residents say they've been plagued by frequent gas leaks and pipes bursting.

"The pool flooded into my apartment and surrounding apartments. It took about a month to fully resolve the situation, and there is still some water damage," said Margheret. "It seems like there is a bit of a water problem with this building, and it seems like management or at least the repairs have been a little bit slow to follow."

After a drive-by shooting damaged the lobby and a few apartments in June, some residents were frustrated with the apartment's response.

"They didn't really do anything to make me feel safe at home," Margheret said.

Today, many are left thirsty and frustrated with management.

"I like the team here. We've lived here for four years. We love it here. I know everyone's doing their best, but it's stressful. It felt like there was just not the most crystal-clear communication," Stern said.

"The way management has communicated has really been lackluster," Margheret said. "The lack of assurances has left a lot of the residents unsure as to whether they can come back to a home."

Apartment management told CBS Colorado on Saturday that they have no comment at this time.

In an email, management told residents they were hiring a new plumber. CBS Colorado reached out to the initial plumbing company, Endurance Plumbing, but they declined to comment.