County addresses Lumen network outages
Published on March 17, 2025
For the second time in a week, the Los Alamos community experienced a network service outage that began around 8 a.m. Monday, March 17. Both outages occurred when fiber lines were broken during construction for the NM-4 Water Transmission Line Replacement/Fiber Conduit Installation Project along NM-4 between the NM-502 (truck route) intersection and White Rock.
The latest fiber break occurred when Wagner Construction, the contractor for the project managed by the Los Alamos Department of Public Utilities (DPU), was trenching for pipeline installation. While adhering to the path indicated by maps and located by Lumen, Wagner’s equipment unexpectedly cut the Lumen-owned fiber line.
Upon investigation, Lumen’s locator had properly followed the tracer wire to mark the underground fiber, however that wire and fiber had been separated for unknown reasons at some point in the past. Without tracer wire attached, fiber optic line has no traceable signal for locators to detect. The separation of the two was not something that could be detected during the underground locate and line marking process.
The fiber optic line along NM-4 has been in place for several decades. DPU staff, however, has been unable to find a definitive source to confirm its age. Because the aged line has become quite brittle over the years, when damaged it needs to be exposed about 50 feet in each direction from the break before repairs can be made. While the road is fairly straight, the fiber optic line to the east of the road is not. When it was installed, it was placed around trees, rocks and culverts, further complicating the process. Once the line is exposed, the Lumen repair contractor must individually splice together numerous delicate fiber strands—slightly thicker than strands of hair—which can be a time-consuming process.
Last week’s fiber line break was on Tuesday, March 11. That break occurred during backfilling efforts after installing a section of water pipeline. All underground infrastructure was properly in place and being buried when the fiber line was inadvertently struck by a piece of equipment.
Both line breaks prompted quick responses from DPU, Wagner, Lumen and the Public Regulation Commission (PRC), and all parties worked collaboratively to expedite the repairs.
“Our contractor is doing everything possible to assist with fiber line repairs,” said DPU Deputy Utility Manager James Alarid. “Before digging, they’ve also been doing a thorough job of potholing, which is an additional step that allows them to visually verify the placement of underground lines. Even still, there’s no guarantee that maps and locates are 100% correct.”
The NM-4 Project was originally planned in response to a New Mexico Dept. of Transportation project to reconstruct NM-4 between NM-502 and Rover Boulevard in White Rock. DPU engineering staff determined it would be beneficial to reconstruct the water transmission line feeding White Rock—a line that has experienced multiple breaks and is already in need of replacement—outside of the planned roadway expansion.
As the project began developing, DPU partnered with San Ildefonso Pueblo to coordinate needs, gain efficiencies and minimize future construction. Through this partnership, a fiber optic conduit is being installed as part of the Community Broadband Network “middle mile” project. This conduit is being placed within the same trench as the water transmission line in support of plans for future fiber to the Pueblo and the area. Once completed, the underground infrastructure on the east side of NM-4 will include a new San Ildefonso-owned fiber line, the original Lumen infrastructure and the new water transmission pipeline.
More information on this project and all of DPU’s capital projects can be found at ladpu.com/Projects on the web.
The fiber line that was cut is made up of ropelike sections of wire internally consisting of many hair-like fiber strands.
Work on the project continued Monday morning beyond the area where the fiber line was damaged.