Floodwaters across southern Colorado slowly receded Tuesday afternoon as rainstorms trickled to a stop, giving community members the hope to return to their once-evacuated homes later that evening.
Heavy rain early Tuesday morning pushed rivers across the southern state past their banks and into the surrounding communities — damaging roads, evacuating residents and shutting down schools and businesses.
“There’s been a lot of energy, a lot of back-and-forth about what’s going on, but we’ve really weathered the storm,” said Jesse Hensle, a spokesperson for The Springs Resort along the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs.
The storms that flooded Pagosa Springs and other towns across Archuleta and La Plata counties are unusual for the area, Hensle said.
While the resort was prepared for the first wave of flooding that arrived Saturday, the second surge of water came by surprise, he said. The consensus seemed to be that the rains that arrived on Monday, which didn’t seem as strong or frequent as the weekend storms, wouldn’t overfill the river.
Hensle woke up multiple times Monday night to check the river’s gauge, which measures the water level. At 2 a.m. Tuesday, the levels were holding relatively steady, and he thought the town had escaped the worst of the tropical storm remnants.
Just hours later, the river swelled by another four feet.
The San Juan River in Pagosa Springs peaked at a height of 12.82 feet at about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday and was flowing at a rate of 8,400 cubic feet per second, according to .
Although the rain stopped early Tuesday, the flooded river stayed strong as excess water flowed into it from multiple catchment areas, .
Tuesday morning’s flooding exceeded the river’s previous height of 12.66 feet on Saturday by nearly two inches, according to federal data.
During its spring peak in May, the San Juan River was flowing at a rate of 786 cubic feet per second and at a height of 6.10 feet, . Flooding officially starts at a height of 10.5 feet.
“It’s been a while since anyone’s seen anything like this,” Riff Raff Brewing Company owner Jason Cox said. “…It’s raging.”
Cox’s restaurant sits alongside the river’s meandering path through Pagosa Springs, with multiple dog-friendly picnic tables right next to the water and an outdoor patio a few feet up the hillside.
The water overtook the dog beach area and came within inches of the patio, but no significant damage was done, Cox said.
Hunters headed into the mountains for the start of elk hunting season have been trapped in town with the , Cox said. The visitors and residents alike have flocked to riverside areas to view the spectacle, bringing a “party atmosphere” to Pagosa Springs, he added.
The biggest concern is any infrastructure damage that debris in the water could have caused, he said, but an exhaustive damage assessment has not yet been completed.
“All things considered, it could’ve been a lot worse,” Cox said. “We’re pretty blessed.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the flooding on Sunday, and later announced plans to extend the state’s tax deadlines for those affected.
“We are supporting the Coloradans who have been impacted by these devastating floods every way we can, and that includes ,” Polis said Tuesday in a statement. “I continue monitoring the situation very closely, and emergency and our public safety resources are actively engaged in response and recovery efforts.”
Archuleta County sheriff’s officials said the San Juan River’s flow started to drop at about 9 a.m. Tuesday, and announced the mandatory evacuation orders would expire at 6 p.m. that evening after the river’s level fell to 11.23 feet with flow rates of 5,900 cubic feet per second.
Floodwaters and debris in Pagosa Springs caused the sewer lines to fail underneath U.S. 160 early Tuesday morning, shutting down the highway, . The highway reopened to traffic shortly after noon.
Archuleta County school district officials also canceled all classes on Tuesday, citing the high water and the flood’s impact on county infrastructure, sheriff’s officials said.
“Due to continued flooding and hazardous conditions, all schools in the Archuleta School District (ASD) will remain closed today,” Pagosa Springs Middle School officials . “The safety of our students, staff and families is our top priority.”
A from the National Weather Service for Archuleta County’s flooded creeks and rivers was to remain active through midnight.
That includes the San Juan River, the Navajo and Little Navajo Rivers, Leche Creek, Cutthroat Creek, East Fork, Augustora Creek, Big Branch, Spring Creek, Stove Creek and Peterson Creek, according to the warning.
A separate will remain in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday for the Piedra River Drainage Basin and the nearby waterways in Archuleta and Hinsdale counties.
“Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring,” weather service meteorologists stated. “Streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from earlier rainfall.”
The largest flood risk is along the main stem of the Piedra River from southern Hinsdale County through western Archuleta County to the confluence with Navajo Reservoir, according to the warning.
Sheriff’s officials said in a Tuesday evening that there is a 75% chance of more rain Wednesday, including mostly intermittent heavy thunderstorms with the potential for winds of up to 50 mph and quarter-inch hail.
