MOSQUITOES

FROM PAGE 8 recommends seeking care because added oral or steroid treatment may be required.

Galloway said most people infected with West Nile virus don’t have symptoms. About 20% of infected people will have u-like symptoms, and fewer than 1% develop a serious, potentially deadly illness.

Galloway said people aged 60 years and older and those with certain medical conditions are at greater risk of serious illness.

Montano said if when someone is having severe headaches or experi-

In addition, Weimer said since May 11 the county is approaching a total of 15 roadway closures, with some already repaired.

Operations Manager Carlos Atencio of Je erson County roads and bridges said this season has felt like chasing their own tails due to the consistency of the rains.

In the beginning of the spring, Jefferson County maintenance crews focus on drainage issues caused by runo from the mountain snow. ey are cleaning ditches and getting ready to resurface roads.

“When a storm comes in, typically what that does is it completely unravels everything, all the work that we’ve done,” said Atencio. “And for every storm that comes in, it just compounds that problem. Our district supervisors know where the problems are, so they know exactly where to go after a storm to get the crews back out.”

Atencio said this does take away and delay some of the pothole patching.

Douglas County’s Assistant Director of Operations of Public Works

Daniel Roberts said the department has not seen a signi cant increase in encing confusion from a mosquito bite they should seek medical care immediately.

Other tips provided by the state health department include: pavement damage due to the moisture and no signi cant ooding impacts have hit the major roadways.

Use insect repellents when you go outdoors. Repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or para-menthane-diol products provide the best protection. For more information about insect repellents visit the EPA’s information webpage. Always follow label instructions. Limit outdoor activities at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. Wear long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks in areas where mosquitoes are active. Spray clothes with insect repellent for extra protection.

When it comes to repairs, public works has to wait for water levels to go down.

“Just because the weather looks better doesn’t mean that we’re able to get in and x it yet,” said Anders Nelson, Arapahoe County public information o cer. “ ey have to wait for the right conditions to make sure that it’s a solid x.” ere is also the potential for a total washout of a roadway.

“It may be a size of a storm that is greater than that culvert could handle,” said Weimer. “It could be debris that blocks the culvert, once the water starts building up, then it starts over owing the roadway and then starts eating back on that road and potentially fails.”

Culvert failures were the primary source behind the numerous sinkholes in June.

On June 11 a sinkhole opened on the shoulder of a rural road southeast of the Town of Parker, resulting in authorities having to close Flintwood Road.