VALLECITO – Residents evacuated from the Vallecito Reservoir area were given the green light to return home Thursday morning. Beginning about 8 a.m., they slowly trickled back into the community they had fled days earlier as floodwaters rose.
Many of those checking in at the reentry tent, staffed by La Plata County Search and Rescue, expressed gratitude for being “one of the lucky ones” – those whose homes avoided the brunt of the damage.
The Vallecito area was among the hardest hit by last weekend’s heavy rain, which forced the evacuation of nearly 400 homes as creeks and rivers across La Plata County overflowed.
With the worst of the weather over, roads and lawns have dried significantly, and the water level in Vallecito Creek has dropped rapidly.
On Thursday, the creek dropped from 6 feet to less than 3 feet. The flow, which peaked at 6,920 cubic feet per second, had fallen to 894 cfs.
The area remains under a boil-water advisory, and officials warn floodwaters may have carried E. coli from compromised septic systems. Internet service remains down across much of the area.
American Red Cross volunteers arrived early to distribute cleaning kits, personal protective gear, rakes, shovels, prepacked meals, snacks and water – “a lot of water,” one volunteer said.
La Plata County delivered 100 water-testing kits to the aid station to help residents assess the safety of their well and tap water.
At the Mountain River 2 Co-op, lower-elevation properties bore the worst of the flooding. One home on a cul-de-sac still sat in ankle-deep water Thursday morning.
Shovel in hand, Brandon Faulkenburg waded through the standing water, digging trenches to redirect runoff and slow erosion. The home wasn’t his – Faulkenburg, who lives in Boulder with his wife, owns a property across the street.
“I’m trying to be a friendly neighbor, especially since I don’t have any damage to my own property,” he said. “I’d want someone to do the same for me if I was in that position.”
Others shared that sentiment. Trey Sweet, whose home narrowly escaped damage, spent Thursday driving through the neighborhood looking for ways to help.
Small groups of neighbors walked the area, assessing damage, taking photos and helping on properties surrounded by water.
“Recovery has to be a community effort,” Sweet said.
What that will entail, however, remains uncertain.
Many of the neighborhoods in the path of the flood are privately owned, meaning damaged roads – many of them pitted and covered in debris – are not the responsibility of the county or the state.
“It’s hard to say what the cleanup efforts will take, or what kind of help we’ll be eligible to get right now,” said John Sylvester, another full-time resident. Some steps and the bank on his property were swept away by the water, but other than that there was no significant damage.
La Plata County building assessors in blue safety vests and rubber boots waded through areas, inspecting homes for structural damage.
Early assessments suggest most structures are still sound, though many sustained varying levels of water damage.
For homeowners who sustained serious damage, the rebuild process will likely be lengthy and costly, Faulkenburg said. One of his neighbors, whose home was one of the two demolished, had been unable to secure flood insurance.
“You just can’t get insurance on a lot of these places,” he said. “And insurance agencies these days will drop you for having bad breath.”
Despite the lingering aftermath of an event that upended hundreds of lives for days – and for some, likely weeks – Vallecito’s full-time residents aren’t second-guessing where they live.
If anything, the flooding seemed to reaffirm their decision to live in this remote, largely undeveloped corner of the county, surrounded by steep, forested hills now glowing with the yellows and oranges of fall colors.
“This hasn’t changed my mind at all,” said Sylvester, standing outside his home Thursday morning. “Right now, it looks like I live in a national park.”
For him, the natural beauty outweighs the risk.
Many others shared the sentiment.
David Kontje, who stayed through the storm with his wife and 2-year-old son, said the experience has only deepened his appreciation for the area – not just for the scenery and the closeness to nature, but also for the people who call Vallecito home.
Kontje’s neighborhood had the good luck of high elevation, putting him and many of his neighbors who stayed out of harm’s way.
“Our little pocket of the world is fantastic,” he said. “Our neighbors are people we can depend on for anything. It (the flood) just shows the importance of having self-sufficient communities and relying on your neighbors.”
jbowman@durangoherald.com
