Steady rainfall punctuated by intermittent downpours Friday caused mud and rock to wash over roads in La Plata County. The flows were so strong north of Durango that one mudslide marooned people on County Road 201, officials said.
County officials urged drivers to be wary of road conditions during the next few days. Once mud and silt wash over roads, they can turn slick with just a little moisture, said Butch Knowlton, director of La Plata County’s Office of Emergency Management.
“It can become extremely slick, so we want people to slow down,” he said.
Roads that saw flooding or received special attention Friday included the front hill leading to Fort Lewis College, east Ninth Street, the 2700 block of East Animas Road (County Road 250), County Road 210, La Posta Road (County Road 213), Florida Road (County Road 240), County Road 310 and County Road 201. All were cleared and open as of 4:30 p.m. Friday.
The National Weather Service in Grand Junction issued a flash-flood watch until midnight Friday and another for Saturday afternoon and evening for most of Southwest Colorado.
Some drying is expected Sunday and forecasters predict a significant downward trend in moisture early next week.
Still, the plentiful rain means that area fire officials are expected Tuesday to seek to lift fire bans, Knowlton said.
“I think it’s wet enough now that we don’t have nearly the problems that we did in July and June,” he said.
A steady stream of water cascaded down Fort Lewis College mesa and wrapped around a historic house near the top of east Ninth Street.
“The side of the hill is in the backyard and the backyard is in the front yard,” said Keith Tucker, owner of the house. But he was in good spirits, saying it is to be expected in Durango. The inside of the house went undamaged, he said.
An area of particular concern was County Road 201 in the Animas Valley, Knowlton said.
“We took a report on five people stranded behind a rock slide/mudslide/debris flow on County Road 201, and we’ve got a piece of equipment going to that area to open the road up so people can get down from the lower Hermosa trailhead and campground,” he said about 1 p.m.
The people later were able to get down the road, he said.
La Plata Electric Association responded to several power outages Friday morning in Bayfield and Pagosa Springs as a result of heavy rain and lightning in the region. But power had been restored to all customers by midday.
shane@durangoherald.com
