2013 Flooding of the Front Range

I realize I haven't posted anything at all about the flood that raged across the front range last fall, and to those who are curious about it, I will try and tell you more about what happened.

Having recently moved to Colorado in May of 2013, I got to see some of nature's demonstrations of destruction that I had never seen before. For instance, during the summer I saw dark clouds of smoke on the horizon as a fires swept across the forest. 

Last summer was not nearly as bad as the summer before, when I visited for a week in 2012. A smoky smell and haze hung in the air that summer from the intense and difficult to contain forest fire that had crept toward Boulder.

Toward the end of summer, during my shift at the boat rental house, I watched as the sky seemed to turn green and an extraordinary wind and rain kicked up out of nowhere. Life Guards on the West side of the Reservoir spotted a funnel cloud on the other side of the lake, and over the crackling radio I was ordered to close down the boat house after the last of the rentals returned.

I watched as two patrons on rented kayaks battled the impressive wind and waves, trying to get back to shore. Lake patrol found to sunfish on the other side of the shore, the wind was too strong and there was noway they could make it back. 

Once the kayakers made it back safely, we offered for them to stay in the boat house for safety, or to come with us to the bathrooms, which were the most secure place at the reservoir. They opted to stay in the boat house, and my coworker and I were whisked via golf cart to the bathrooms by the swim beach. We watched the storm from the entrance as the wind kicked up, and eventually quieted to a heavy rain.

That was when we were allowed to go home if we wanted, and it was just in time for my shift to end.

This brings us to the most recent natural disaster, (aside from coming home to Maine for Christmas just in time for a small ice storm) the flood.

The night the rains started, my finace John, our friend Nate, and I went to Nederland to pick up John's scuba gear from his sister. John had signed me up for scuba lessons for my 27th birthday in August, and John was going to take a refresher course sine it had been a few years.

The drive up was uneventful, but the trip back down the mountains was accompanied by a heavy downfall of rain. I remember seeing the water starting to form small streams on the road from the sudden ferocity of the storm.

It was only drizzling on the way up. Little did we know, this road would be washed out the next day.

We stopped to eat dinner in Boulder, and John and Nate picked on me for parking as far away from the door to the restaurant as possible. The rain was still coming down hard by the time we drove home to Longmont, puddles gathering and growing in the roads.

The next day, September 12 2013 I awoke to a phone call from John, telling me that the roads were flooded and to prepare to take longer to get to work. I immediately went to call my boss, but she dialed quicker and called me before I could call her. The reservoir was flooded, most of the roads were closed on the front range, and needless-to-say, I would not be required to come into work.

John and I had just bought our first house in July, and while stuck at work John called again to make sure I kept checking the basement to see if it was getting flooded.

The worst we saw at our house was a puddle in the back yard, significant only because of the lack of rain all summer, this was our first puddle since we'd moved in.

Having nothing better to do, I took a short walk to see if there was any flooding at all near my house. All I found was that the water in a nearby runoff was higher than normal.

The pond in the park was higher than normal too.

My cat "helps" observe the backyard. No flood here! We were very lucky.

I found out later that Longmont was divided by the flood, as the Saint Vrain river overflowed its banks and rushed across many roads and bridges, and sadly damaged quite a few homes.

It took John 2 hours to get home when they sent him away from work because the flood waters were still rising, a route that normally takes him 15 minutes tops.

The very next day I had my first pool class for scuba diving in Lafayette, and while our normal route was flooded, John and I managed to find another, longer way, and were able to attend my class and his refresher course.

Yay Scuba class!

To make sure we could even make it, we took a drive down 25, where the flood had raged only the day before but had calmed down enough for us to pass.

We passed Saint Vrain State Park, which is where John's folks like to camp when they come out to visit us. Unfortunately, it was under the flood for two miles wide. 

You can see how only the day before this road was flooded, the water is still very close to the road. 

On the left, you can see the onramp here is flooded, as well as the Circle K and McDonalds

The flooded onramp

Flooded RV's for sale

John was the one taking pictures while I drove

We then went to Airport Road, the way John goes to work.

It was pretty flooded

John wasn't able to take this road for a few days.

I had my last scuba class on the 16th, and both John and I didn't have work, as we still had no way to get to work without circumnavigating Colorado.

On the 17th I was able to get to 119 again, and could drive into Boulder. It would still be a few weeks before Airport opened, and even longer for foothills parkway to open, which used to be my usual route to work. However, with a bridge washed out and it being flooded in several locations, it was late fall/early winter before i could go that way again.

My first day back at work involved assessing the damage, which didn't take very long. The parking lot was flooded, with two porta potties floating eerily in the middle.

A private lake was flooding over its banks and created a river/waterfall across the road and into our reservoir.

Most frustratingly however, despite closed signs and caution tape that the reservoir was closed, people were passing the warning signs and running in. Even more concerning was that despite the smell and the murky questionable water, folks were running through it or allowing their dogs to drink it.

My bosses and I had to chase people out, because somehow they felt they were above the "Park is closed no not enter" signs.

The swim beach

The "waterfall" coming from the private lake

This area was all smooth and flattened sand.

Floating porta potties in the main parking lot

It's nearly scenic...

This area didn't usually have water. The ducks didn't seem to mind

The rental beach was thankfully mostly intact, it would be our job to put these away soon.

Up close, you can see the sediment and the murky brown of the water. It also smelled like sewage, not surprising because we were downstream form some towns that got hit hard.

On a side note, the grass had never been greener after the flood!

People assumed this did not apply to them.

 On November 16 I volunteered at Saint Vrain State Park for a flood cleanup day.

They explained the entire park had been under water, and that holes as large as 6 feet deep had been made from the flood in the road coming in. Lots of work had to be done, camp sites fixed and TONS of trash to be picked up!

The park didn't LOOK so bad

There is 25, with trees leaning against the bridge. Water had been right up to the bridge when we drove by the day after the flood!

More flood damage, this is the bathroom where water washed out the bottom.

Now that it's late March of 2014, most roads and parks are open again. However, my favorite park, Heil Valley Ranch is still closed, and I can only imagine the damage done to the park. The road leading up to it still shows signs of the flood, such as mud high up on the trees and trash stuck in branches. 

I was very lucky to have been mostly unaffected by the flood, and since this was a "500" year flood, I can expect to be safe from the worst of the flash floods Colorado may have to offer.