Snowmelt is swelling Colorado’s rivers

BY SHANNON MULLANE THE COLORADO SUN

Floods, swollen rivers, road closures — Colorado’s spring runo season is in full swing and much of the snow in the state’s mountains hasn’t melted yet.

Colorado saw higher-than-average snowfall build up on the Western Slope this year, a boon for irrigators and other water users who rely on the Colorado River Basin which spans Colorado, tribal lands, six Western states and parts of Mexico. But the snowmelt, with the help of recent weather, is leading to high runo and its adverse impacts are popping up around the state like a game of whack-a-mole.

Beyond monitoring for mudslides and rockfalls loosened by rain and high runo , the Colorado Department of Transportation is also watching bridges and roads for possible closures.

“I’m seeing higher ows in almost every single drainage that we have over here (in western Colorado) than what we’ve seen probably in at least four or ve years, if not longer,” said Julie Constan, a CDOT regional director. “We had such a heavy snowpack across the entire western portion of the state, so that’s causing all of the creeks to de nitely be running higher than what we’re used to seeing.”

On the Front Range and Eastern Plains, 10 days of rain in May helped with the state’s continuing recovery drought conditions has dropped from 93% a year ago to just 11% today.

But the rain has also combined with snowmelt to cause ooding around Colorado. In northeastern and southwestern Colorado, communities in the White-Yampa River Basin and along the Dolores River have built sandbag barriers to slow encroaching ooding. On May 11 in Denver, Cherry Creek leapt to its highest ow rate since 1980 after intense rain supplemented by reservoir releases, according to media reports.

For anyone traveling, camping or oating the river over Memorial Day weekend, checking road and weather conditions will be key for a safe outing.

Statewide, 42 people died in waterrelated accidents in 2022, according to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife. As of May 18, two people died in con rmed water-related incidents this year. e state recommends that boaters wear life jackets regardless of age or experience level.

Campsites could also be temporar- ily closed. Dinosaur National Monument closed its Pot Creek campsites this month due to the possible failure of an old, earthen dam on private land. e dam is structurally sound, but the area has received so much snow this year that, as of mid-May, runo in ows increased the reservoir’s elevation to within a few inches of the dam’s crest, Park Ranger Dan Johnson said. e high spring runo is also impacting road conditions across the state. In southeastern Colorado, the Arkansas River ooded U.S. 50 near La Junta.

“ e state o ce was concerned that, should that dam fail in the middle of the night when people are camping there, it could create a hazardous situation,” Johnson said, adding that the campsites could reopen in time for Memorial Day weekend campers.

A debris ow at the Hanging Lake exit on Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon blocked access to the trailhead for two weeks before it reopened last week. e Forest Service announced the trail is closed again

RAFFLES STARTING AT 10:00 LOTS OF ITEMS TO WIN!

SALES REPS WILL BE AVAILABLE HOT