On Saturday, October 11, my granddaughter Amelie remarked that she could hear the river from her bedroom window. She said it sounded like the ocean.
This was about the time we noticed that we no longer had water from the faucets in our house.
We live about three blocks north of Highway 160 as it passes through downtown Pagosa Springs, and we can often hear the sound of large trucks as they drive through town. And of course, police sirens and fire trucks, now and then.
But we cannot normally hear the San Juan River, about four blocks away. Saturday was different. Following several days of heavy rain in southwest Colorado, the San Juan River overflowed its normal river banks on Saturday and flooded sections of several downtown parks in Pagosa Springs.
Numerous residents and visitors paraded along the Riverwalk, taking photos and posting videos of the raging water until the Town police and Fire Department finally closed off the areas under threat of even more severe flooding — including Centennial Park, Town Park, Mary Fisher Park, Cotton Hole Park and River Center Park. (I don’t know if Yamaguchi Park was closed.)
The flood provided a convenient excuse to stroll along the river with friends and family, on a gray, chilly Saturday. A social event.
By the afternoon, as the water continued to rise, the First Street Bridge was closed. A Town employee said the river was flowing at about 7,200 CFS (cubic feet per second) and was expected to high 8,000 CFS that evening. We chatted briefly about the 1911 flood that had wiped out numerous bridges, and sent homes and buildings floating down the river. That flood, he told me, had sent about 30,000 CFS barreling through downtown.
Here’s a 4-minute video from Saturday afternoon.
At 6:17pm, Archiuleta County sent out an evacuation notice for people living on Hermosa Street and San Juan Street east of the Visitor Center. The police warned the socializing families to leave the Riverwalk and return to their vehicles. The fun was over.
ARCHULETA COUNTY, CO:
Mandatory evac for San Juan St & Hermosa st in downtown Pagosa. Evac shelter set up at Ross Aragon community center.
By Sunday, the river level had dropped somewhat, but the yellow “Crime Scene Do Not Cross” tape remained draped along the Riverwalk…
…requiring Riverwalk sightseers to duck underneath it.
As of MOnday morning… the rain has returned.
And our water pressure has also returned.
If I had visited the Archuleta County website, I would have found, on Saturday, the following warning from the Archuleta County Public Health Department:
Due to the recent flooding in the area, a wastewater overflow into the San Juan River and a water main break have occurred, water systems and wells may be affected.
As a precautionary measure, the Archuleta County Public Health Department is issuing a Boil Water Advisory effective immediately for all residents with water wells and/or septic systems along the San Juan River.
Affected Area:
All properties along the San Juan River that have water wells and/or septic systems that may be impacted by flooding.
What You Need to Do:
Until further notice, all water used for the following must be boiled for at least one full minute:
Drinking
Cooking
Brushing teeth
Washing fruits and vegetables
Making ice or baby formula
Duration:
This advisory will remain in effect until further assessment are made. Updates will be provided via local media and social media pages…
The Public Health Department may have been somewhat overly cautious.
On Sunday morning, Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) had restored water service to downtown, and sent out the following notice:
Attention PAWSD Customers:
PAWSD does NOT have a boil advisory in place. There is no need to boil water if you are a PAWSD customer unless that is a personal preference. One water main break occurred during the flood event in the Town of Pagosa Springs on October 11, 2025; however, the PAWSD crews were able to isolate the break and the system maintained pressure the entire time. PAWSD drinking water meets or exceeds all standards set by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
An update appeared on the Archuleta County website on Sunday morning:
***UPDATE*** 10/12/25 10:24 am. Areas downtown where water has been restored… do not need to boil water… resume use as normal.
If you have a water well or septic system that was impacted by the flooding, please take precautions for contamination. Follow guidelines for boiling water and plan to have your well tested…
The weather forecast is for rain to continue through the coming days.
From PagosaWeather.org — a non-profit weather-tracking website:
Forecast highlights…
*** FLOOD WARNING is out until further notice for the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs. As of 2pm Sunday, the river was at 9.1ft. “Bankfull stage” is at 8.5ft. The river is forecast to rise above flood stage late Monday evening and to crest around 10.9ft early Tuesday morning. ***
*** FLOOD WATCH from Monday morning through Tuesday morning. This includes all rivers, creaks, and low-lying areas in the region. ***
*** More rain Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The heaviest rain will fall sunrise Monday to sunrise Tuesday. Hit and miss showers and thunderstorms Tuesday morning through Wednesday. ***
*** Hard freeze Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. ***