Laserfiche WebLink
<br />GJJ5i.7 <br /> <br />Alamosa crews work <br />repairing dikesthrough night <br /> <br />By MELISSA MONSON <br />Courier Regional Edllor <br />Crews from the A1amosa police, fire, and city and coWlty <br />departments worked through the night monitoring the Rio <br />Grande River and making repairs along the dike as a result <br />of flooding possibilities that will continue to exist dwing the <br />next 24 hours. <br />At 5 a,m" the river was ruruting at 4,100 cubic feet per <br />second compared to 3,500 cfs Monday morning at the same <br />time, said A1amosa Police Chief Roy Orton, Harvey Teyler <br />reported from the National Weather Service today that the <br />river was 9.16 feet high at 6 a.m. this morning and it was <br />continuing to rise. <br />It is "probably the highest river stages we've ever seen," <br />Teyler said. In previous years, the established river level <br />was eight feet, Teyler added; however, last month it went <br />over that limit and flooding did not occur. <br />The problem is that no one at this lime knows what the <br />river will do because it has never been this high, Teyler <br />explained. "We don't have records of it being this high," <br />Orton added, <br />Although the National Weather Service issued a flood <br />watch, which is a preparatory situation, SWlday at 6 p.m., <br />Teyler termed the watch as a "very serious situation," <br />"It's a very fine line that we're riding on," he added, and <br />said that stress and pressure on the dikes is extreme and the <br />concern rests on how much pressure the dikes can handle. <br />As each hour goes by, the .stress on the dikes continues, <br />Teyler said, which makes this a critical situation, <br />City and COWlty crews worked last night on what Orton <br />termed as a "minor" problem in the north part of Alamosa; <br />however, anotl1er source said that it was a "significant <br />problem" and that a 156-foot section of the dike had been <br />Wldercut near Anderson construction north of the water <br />tower. <br />City Manager Greg Sparks reported that erosion problems <br />and Wldercutting had occurred in that area along the dike. <br />Although city and COWlty crews worked late into the night, <br />litUe was accomplished because of equipment problems, <br />Sparks explained. He said that the soft soil on the dike caused <br />the coWlty's front..,nd loader 10 get stuck because it was so <br />heavy. The city's loader, although smaller, worked for a <br />while; however it too got stuck, Sparks said. <br />Bulldozers are in that area today reinforcing the dikes, <br />Sparks said and added that 60 loads of soil and broken up <br />concrete had been used yesterday to reinforce the dikes near <br /> <br />the gauging station in the vicinity of La Veta Avenue. <br />Sparks also said that he had received ca1ls that water was <br />backing up through the storm drains on El Camino, which is <br />off of First Street, and on streets north of Adams State <br />College. This won't cause major problems other than a litUe <br />water on the streets, Sparks explained. <br />Sandbagging has been done in a few of those areas, Nearly <br />1,500 sand begs were filled yesterday, said Sparks, adding <br />that the city and coWlty are very well stocked at this point. <br />"We can handle the water going through if we keep on lop <br />of it," Sparks said, The main problem is that the dikes are <br />made of sandy soil, which is not very sturdy, he concluded. <br />"Everything looks like it is in good shape," said Orton, <br />adding that there has been no danger so far. <br />Teyler warned, however, that residents should not relax if <br />the water drops because the danger will not pass within 24 <br />bours. The National Weather Service will operate aroWld the <br />clock Wltil the river is down to the eight.foot level again. <br />A major problem that Teyler sees is debris - namely trees <br />- that have fallen into the river. The high water has <br />saturated the soil aroWld the trees and high winds have <br />caused trees to fall inlo the Rio Grande. <br />He cited an area southeast of Iown by the railroad lressel <br />wbere flooding could occur as a result of several fallen trees <br />inlo the rive~. <br />Teyler attributes the flooding conditions to WlUSuaJJy <br />heavy snowpack in the higb COWltry and rapid melting <br />conditions in a short period of time. For instance, the tem- <br />perature in Alamosa jumped from 69 degrees Wednesday to <br />SO degrees Thursday. This was the beginning of significant <br />melt in the higb COWltry, he explained. <br /> <br />The snowslorm at the end of April, followed by a warm <br />period in the beginning of May, also added to the problem, <br />Teylcr said. <br />He described the flooding as a "big pond of water that <br />spread" as a result of the spill in Rio Grande and Beaver <br />Dam reservoirs. This water ends up in the river and even- <br />tually spreads to the communities at the base of the reser- <br />voirs ancj moves across the San Luis Valley. <br /> <br />Although the water level dropped sJighUy in Del Norte and <br />Monte Vista, this won't alleviate the problem, said Teyler, <br />concludiJig that problems could happen within minutes. <br />San Luis Valley and Alamosa residents are encouraged 10 <br />pay attention to all news media available for updated con- <br />ditions. <br /> <br />\ <br />i <br />