Saturday probably will be the last day to be concerned about the Florida and Pine rivers flooding.
“It’s been a hectic week, with lots of concerns and impacts for a lot of property owners, particularly those on the Pine River,” said Butch Knowlton, director of the La Plata County Office of Emergency Preparedness. “The National Weather Service said (Saturday) is the day to watch, because we could get more heavy rains. But from this day way forward, we should dry up pretty darn fast.”
Knowlton said he also has been on the phone with the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, keeping an eye on the potential rise of river levels.
“Predicting when rainfall will hit down here is a kind of voodoo, depending on the volumes of water in the mountains,” Knowlton said.
The Bureau of Reclamation has stepped down the amount of water it is releasing from Vallecito Reservoir, Knowlton said, lowering it once Friday night and a second time Saturday morning.
It’s not unusual for the Animas River to be running high the second week of June, he said. The crest of the river from snowmelt used to come about this time of year.
“But between climate changes and droughts, it’s moved about three weeks earlier,” Knowlton said. “This year, they’re struggling to predict how much moisture will be released when rain falls on snow; that’s the wild card.”
Knowlton thought the crest had occurred last week and was sorry he hadn’t marked it, he said. So, when he saw the river rising again earlier this week, he decided to put a stake in the ground, then went back to get some lines to secure it.
“The Animas (River) rose 4 inches in the time it took me to walk four blocks,” he said.
Knowlton said despite concerns about flooding, bridges and rock and mudslides, he has to stop and admire one effect of all this precipitation.
“I’ve lived here all my life, and I don’t ever recall the vibrance, all the shades of green, we’re seeing now,” he said. “I was watching Missionary Ridge as the sun set the other day, and I must have stood there 20 minutes marveling at the beauty.”
abutler@durangoherald.com
