STORM OF THE DECADE

As Elbert County moves from the response to the recovery phase of addressing the damage caused by the recent storm-related ooding, it has become likely that use of County

Elbert County Road & Bridge is hard at work

Contingency Funds may be needed. ese “rainy-day funds” have been set aside over the past several years to ensure that the county can respond to emergency situations without impacting already planned projects and scheduled maintenance operations.

is declaration, e ective on June 11th at 10:20pm allows use of these local funds and potential reimbursement from the state or federal level.

Based on current assessments of known damages as well as employee hours, equipment usage, and material costs incurred over the rst week since ooding hit, approximately $1.1 million may be expended before recovery is complete. Additionally, assessment of several bridges that may have been impacted by owing debris and scouring of streambeds is currently underway.

During this ooding event, segments of 16 roads were closed at various times. Seven segments remain closed of the county’s 1,200-plus miles of road. anks to the tremendous e orts of our First Responders and Road & Bridge Crews, and the caution taken by our citizens, there are no known accidents or injuries related to these closures. e Elbert County Public Works Department will be working a 6-day work week for the foreseeable future until all damaged roadways are repaired.

Chris Richardson, Chairman, Elbert County Board of County Commissioners, stated, “Our County’s Road and Bridge team is a very dedicated sta of professionals that work very hard to serve the citizens.

eir e orts in response to recent ooding and road damage are nothing short of heroic. We are tracking all costs and will assess the impact on the county nances in the weeks to come.”

Elbert County is fairly typical of Colorado’s rural counties. We maintain approximately 1100 miles of gravel and 200 miles of paved roads. Our Road & Bridge Department is about 50 strong and they take great pride in serving our citizens. Feel free to thank them for their e orts when you have the opportunity, it will surely mean a lot. e break in County Road 13, the main route north from the Town of Elizabeth, was perhaps the most impactful damage. Repair of the breach began and, though work had to stop when the rains returned, it was expected to be reopened shortly. Another break and washout on CR 112, as shown in the photo, will take much longer to repair but carries much less tra c. ough the moisture is badly needed and greatly welcomed by our farmers and ranchers, it will take some time to recover our roadways. Our rst responders and Road & Bridge crews have been working closely together with the support of our emergency management teamtheir e orts have been nothing short of heroic.

Roads are built and maintained with a slight crown so water runs o and into ditches, and culverts carry water to natural drainages. With normal rainfall, this is enough to preserve the integrity of the road surfaces (gravel or pavement) and prevent gravel roads from turning to mud. However, this period of nearly continuous rain has been anything but normal. After well over 12” of rain in some areas over the last two weeks that left the ground saturated, run-o became a real issue. Heavy slow-moving rainstorms over these sodden grounds resulted in literal “gully washers” that ushed debris from elds and streambeds and this material blocked culverts and caused “dams” at some of our bridges. ese blockages caused water to overtop roads in many areas and resulted in washouts.

Please monitor o cial county social media sites for updates on road closures and repairs.

Independence Day o ce closure

Douglas County offices will be closed Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Many services are available at DoItOnlineDouglas.com

Live Town Hall meetings

Did you know Douglas County offers Live Town Hall meetings, inviting you to engage in the local issues of importance to you and your neighbors? Register at douglas.co.us/townhall to ensure you are contacted about all future Live Town Halls. Join online or by phone and listen to community conversations, ask questions and hear responses from experts.