Mandi Becher was riding her bike home from work along the Animas River Trail on Tuesday evening when she came across a splat of mud on the bike path near Schneider Park. It did not take her long to realize that she was riding through the debris from a flash flood caused by torrential monsoonal rain.
“I was a little shocked, I’m not gonna lie," she said. ”I was riding my bike home from work, and all of a sudden, mud started spitting up on my pants. And I was like, ‘what the hell?’ And then I was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is a flash flood.’”
Once she rode her bike to higher ground, Becher, an avid whitewater kayaker, pulled out her phone and checked the Animas River’s flow, measured in cubic feet per second. Between 5:30 and 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, the river jumped from 165 CFS to 250 CFS, before settling back down to 198 CFS, according to data provided by the United States Geological Survey.
Becher had come across the aftermath of a flash flood. La Plata County spokesman Ted Holteen said that across the county, similar flash-flooding had been reported.
“County Road 213 from Purple Cliffs south to Basin Creek and County Road 203 experienced some minor flooding, requiring mud and debris removal as well,” he said.
USGS Hyrologic Technician Kevin Murphy said that only about 0.44 inches of rain fell on Tuesday evening, according to the USGS’s rain gauge station by 4Corners Riversports. But, he said, some areas saw heavier deluges that were also more localized, which accounted for the rapid rise in river levels and flash flooding across the county.
“The rain can come down really fast and feel like a really hard rain; yesterday evening’s storm was less than a half an inch,” he said. “But when you have other areas where it’s coming down much harder, it could be significantly more rain than what we recorded at that rain gauge.”
Murphy said the geographic region where Durango is located does not have a lot of topsoil that can absorb rain, especially when a lot of rain falls over a short amount of time.
“In Southwest Colorado, we have mountainous terrain, but we also have deserty terrain, which doesn’t have a lot of soil in it,” he said. “So when you don’t have much soil, and you have a lot of exposed bedrock or rock outcrops, the water that is coming down in the form of rain doesn’t have anywhere to infiltrate into the soil. Therefore, it flows much quicker and easier over the rocks, and tends to become flash floods.”
Murphy said it is important for people to be aware of the terrain around them, and not to recreate outside during heavy precipitation events like these recent rainstorms.
“Mother Nature is going to have her way with you,” he said. “Just be vigorous, be cautious and don’t be out recreating and mountain biking during those types of conditions, because you never know when it could turn really bad.”
Holteen said that if people come across a debris flow or standing water on a road while driving, it is important not to try to drive through it. He also urged people to report flooding to La Plata County’s road and bridge department.
“If there’s water on the road, don’t drive through it,” he said. “Your car could float right away with the water wherever it’s going. Our crews will continue to respond (to flooding) as needed. That’s really all you can can do when you’re going back and forth with Mother Nature like that.”
Despite from her mud-soiled clothing, the flash-flood debris signaled something entirely different to Becher. As a river rat, the rain meant one thing: Higher water levels on the Animas River meant kayaking on the river was going to be exciting, especially after weeks of low-water paddling.
“I was like, this is perfect, I can crack out my play boat for one last time,” she said. “I’m excited just to get back on the Animas before it starts getting freezing and before I have to use my dry suit.”
sedmondson@durangoherald.com
