A 102-year-old wooden flume near Cascade Creek collapsed in June, causing a landslide, terrain and tree damage and forest closures.
Cleanup efforts by work crews were reportedly underway as of late June.
The flume, one of only two wooden flumes still being used for hydroelectric uses, follows a path between Durango and Silverton north of Purgatory Resort and west of Cascade Curve on U.S. Highway 550.
Water that escaped the damaged flume reportedly caused terrain erosion, which in turn caused even more of the supportive structure of the flume to collapse after the initial damage. Nearby power line support structures were reportedly also threatened by the flume damage.
A report on the official cause of the damage had not been completed by Xcel as of late July.
A closure notice for a 51-acre section of national forest near the flume was released by the San Juan office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Forest Service on June 13.
“The recent failure of the flume resulted in infrastructure damage and a landslide that has destabilized the Described Area,” the release said. “Concerns for public safety include loose debris, continuing flume degradation, falling trees, and any potential impacts or failures to or from the adjacent LPEA power transmission line.”
According to the release, the area closure will remain in effect until November 2026, unless rescinded sooner.
La Plata County Electric Association Strategic Communications Officer Amanda Anderson said that while LPEA’s involvement with the flume is limited to owning the transmission assets that deliver power to Xcel’s facilities, LPEA has experienced some negative effects from the damage.
“With that facility currently out of commission, we are unable to transmit power through it, which results in lost revenue,” she said.
Electra Lake water reserves have prevented the disruption of power delivery to nearby homes as of late July, but water flow to private properties below the Cascade Creek flume damage site could reportedly be impacted by the presence of debris.
“They’re always working on the flume,” said Carolyn Strong, a resident on Spruce Mesa Drive, which overlooks Electra Lake. “There’s always something going on over there.”
Strong said she has not noticed an impact to Electra Lake water levels or power supply to her home as of late July.
“My understanding is that the flume needs to be fully replaced now in order to get water pumping back to Electra Lake,” said Benedict Stoddard, a resident on Electra North Road.
The water path associated with the broken flume also works to generate hydroelectric power at the Tacoma Generating Station along the Animas River, after exiting Electra Lake.
Purgatory Resort, which leases water from Xcel for snowmaking purposes, said in a summer email news release that as of June 18, Xcel was “working closely with the USFS and FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) to repair the flume and restore water flow to Electra Lake as soon as possible” and that the over 100-year-old flume had “met the end of its useful life.”
The wooden flume – which is eligible, along with the pipeline, for a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the U.S. Forest Service – has experienced other instances of leakage and damage over its long operational history; but none as detrimental as the June breakage.
Xcel Energy was unable to be reached for comment Friday.
epond@durangoherald.com
