It’s hard not to notice the deep, rustic, dark-orange hue the Animas River has taken on recently, filled with runoff and sediment from every mountain, stream and creek that feeds it, down the valleys and canyons from above Silverton. While the river has settled down again after last week’s rain, it may just jump right back up.
“We do have a rather impressive surge of moisture coming in as early as (today) and continuing in to the first of the week,” said Dan Cuevas, technician with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction.
Cuevas said Durango received 2.23 inches of precipitation in July; in the next few days, the city could receive much more.
“We could see showers and thunderstorms, possibly to the point of causing problems,” Cuevas said. “Flash flooding, rockslides and things of that nature.”
A special weather statement has been issued for the region for today, calling for heavy rain and warning of flash flooding in slot canyons, dry creeks and arroyos.
In Saturday’s sunshine, the Animas River was loaded with water lovers, enjoying a rise in the flow and sticking out of the reddish, dirty brown water like rainbows in a mudslide – their colored boats and rafts bright against the earthy tone.
After a spike to more than 1,000 cubic feet per second, the river returned to a reasonable flow of 667 cfs as of Saturday.
Drew Kensinger, operations manager for local whitewater guides Mild To Wild, said the bump is always welcome.
“For our business, it’s great,” Kensinger said. “It’s a little more splashier – a little bit more adventure for people in rafts and inflatable kayaks.”
He also said he’s used to the weather changing on a dime.
“You know, it’s Colorado. You wait 15 minutes, and it will break,” he said.
With flash-flood warnings in place, Kensinger reminded river enthusiasts to grab their personal flotation devices.
“I think any time you’re on the water, no matter what the water level is, you should always have a PFD,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”
The NWS is calling for heavy rain in eastern Utah and western Colorado through Tuesday.
bmathis@durangoherald.com
