The inundated grounds of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge are closed until further notice, with upwards of $20.1 million in estimated repairs.
“Miles and miles of roads and trails were damaged,” said David Lucas, refuge and project manager. “A construction crew mobilized over the weekend and has been there every day.”
Contractors are working on creating temporary roads so automobile tours can resume next week. Lucas said seven of the 11 trails are closed or washed out.
He said countless guests have been turned away since the park shut down at 10 a.m. Sept. 12, after heavy rains breached the Havana Pond dam.
Over the course of the flooding, billions of gallons of water from rain and the South Platte watershed were unleashed into the surrounding habitats. The extent of damage to the wildlife is still unknown.
Lucas said the there were 4,000 acres of refuge property in Commerce City submerged during the height of the flooding, and at least 667 acres that will need repair and restoration.
Money from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads fund was tapped to jump-start temporary road repair.
Ninety-eight percent of the damage is crippling road erosion, Lucas said.
“This is a triage approach,” Lucas said. “Our number-one goal is reopening to the public, even if it’s with Band-Aids on.”
“I’ve never seen anything like this before, not to this extent,” said Sherry James, the park’s visitor services manager who has worked there for 23 years. “There was so much water that it was just blowing, taking out roads and trails.”
As she watched the water levels spreading and saturating the land, James said it reminded her of the air being let out of an enormous balloon.
“Water flowed all the way from the south end near the dam to the northwest section of the refuge,” she said. “And that’s several miles.”
She said officials hope to open some of the less-damaged sections of the park to automobile tours around Oct. 3. Because the trails are looped together like veins, the four undamaged paths are also closed.
The park and refuge, which are free to the public, take in an average of 5,800 guests per week.
James said anyone with questions should call the visitors center at 303-289-0930 and leave a message. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is at 6550 Gateway Road.
Megan Mitchell: 303-954-2650, mmitchell@denverpost.com, or twitter.com/MMitchelldp
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