As I write this essay, I’m unclear about the damage in Pagosa Springs. The electric company LPEA announced a power outage at about 2am this morning, for downtown where I live, so my house and neighborhood were totally dark when I woke up.
So of course I had no internet connection.
I could see that the veterinarian’s office on Cemetery Road, visible from my kitchen window, had lights, so they must have had a generator. The early morning sky provided just the slightest bit of light so I walked out into the back yard, and could hear a rushing river.
I have never, in 30 years in my house, heard that sound from my back yard. The sound was coming from McCabe Creek, a small creek that is often nothing more than a trickle. In the dim light, looking down on the creek and neighborhood below my hillside property, it appeared that McCabe Creek had overflowed its banks and flooded some of the neighborhood.
Hard to tell in the dim light. But I had a sense that this weather event was much worse than the flood we had last year in October.
I walked back inside and dressed in the darkness, running through a list of possible places, maybe uptown, where I could find an internet connection and post the Friday issue of the Daily Post.
I settled on Higher Grounds Coffee as a likely choice. Possibly the power outage didn’t include the uptown area.
Driving up Put Hill in the darkness on a nearly empty highway, the well-lit businesses at the top of the hill obviously had electricity. As I passed the entrance to Walmart, I saw that the adjacent wetlands had become a lake, and the large meadow on the west side of Alpha Drive that was flooded and spilling across the road.
Higher Grounds was open and serving a few customers. The coffee was nice and hot.
So I was able to post a couple of stories.
The riverfront properties in Archuleta County experienced an historic flood event on October 16, 1911, and I often heard that event referred to as a “100-year Flood” with the obvious implication that we could expect a similar event at some point in the next 100 years.
Here’s a photo of Hermosa Street taken during that 1911 flood.
We just had to wait 115 years.
Arriving back home this morning, the power was still out, so I took a walk down to the river, to see how Hermosa Street fared last night during the peak flood.
Town Park was covered with muddy water, as was Mary Fisher Park, on the opposite side of the river. Hermosa Street was inaccessible.
A couple dozen people were strolling along the sidewalks above the river, taking videos with their cell phones.
Naturally, the walking trail beside the river was closed, and mostly flooded. The water appeared dangerously close to the underside of the Hot Springs Boulevard bridge.
Hard to believe that earlier this summer during the drought, you could wade across the San Juan River and barely get your ankles wet.
A dozen people were taking pictures of the raging river and the flooded Springs Resort from the Overlook.
Much of Centennial Park, a bit further downstream, was under water.
Crazy to think that we had a similar flood event just one year ago, also in October, when the river reached an estimated height of 12.5 feet.
Reportedly, the river hit 15 feet last night, during a steady downpour.
Heading home to review my photos, I saw that the traffic signals were operating once again at the Highway 160-Hot Springs Boulevard intersection, meaning that I probably had power at my house.
I walked out in the back yard to view the neighborhood along McCabe Creek. Not a pleasant sight.
Inside the house, my son-in-law Chris was on the phone sharing some news with his father, describing the damage along Hermosa Street from last night’s high water. It sounded like some of the riverfront homes had been flooded. Chris said he had walked down as far as the 1st Street Bridge and talked about a damaged roof and river bank at the San Juan Museum.
No doubt it will be several weeks before we have an accurate estimate of the total damage.
From the Town website:
URGENT TRAVEL ADVISORY: Major Road Closures on Highway 160 Due to Flooding
The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office and the Town of Pagosa Springs have issued an urgent travel advisory regarding severe flooding and major road closures along US Highway 160. Travel along Hwy 160 between MM 134 and MM 144 is strongly discouraged.
Due to hazardous water accumulation, officials have closed key sections of Highway 160 to ensure public safety. Travelers and residents are advised of the following conditions:
Mile Markers 134 – 135: Highway 160 is completely shut down between MM 134 and MM 135.
Highway 160 & Alpha Drive: Active water is currently flowing across the roadway at this intersection and travel through this area is discouraged.
7th Street to Lewis Street: Highway 160 is shut down between 7th Street and Lewis Street.
1st Street Bridge: Agency officials are actively in the process of closing Highway 160 at the 1st Street Bridge.
Avoid the Area: Motorists are urged to avoid travel through these areas and seek alternate routes.
Never Drive Through Standing Water: Turn around, don’t drown. Moving water across roadways presents extreme danger to vehicles and pedestrians.
Obey Barricades: Do not bypass road closure signs, barricades, or emergency personnel directing traffic.
Further updates will be released as conditions evolve and roads are deemed safe to re-open.
From the Pagosa Springs SUN website:
Due to flooding in the area, the following Town facilities will be closed Friday, October 23:
Town Hall
Community Center
Visitor Center
Maintenance Facilities
A report from Pagosa Area Water and Sanitation District (PAWSD) District Manager Andy Connor:
Bill Hudson began sharing his opinions in the Pagosa Daily Post in 2004 and can't seem to break the habit. He claims that, in Pagosa Springs, opinions are like pickup trucks: everybody has one.