Second flood in two weeks hits Four Corners roads and sewers before October repairs are done

Colorado 151 failed again on the stretch from Chimney Rock to an old mine site when water flowed over it, ENR reported, citing a weather service storm report. That road had washed out at two points during the Oct. 22 to 25 storms, and the Colorado Department of Transportation was planning a temporary access road there. La Plata County shut every county road on Nov. 1 as floodwater and debris moved through.

At Pagosa Springs the San Juan River reached 16.81 feet late on Nov. 1, short of the roughly 17.8-foot crest of 1911 that nearly wiped out the town, the Associated Press reported. The town reported sewage entering the river near the First Street Bridge. Its system was still at reduced capacity after the October flood damaged a sewer line on that bridge and swamped three lift stations and a pump station, ENR reported.

CDOT had barely begun about $65 million of repair work on federal-aid highways. The Federal Highway Administration released $6.5 million in emergency funds for US 160, US 550 and Colorado 151, and the state Transportation Commission added $5 million. CDOT calls the estimate preliminary because high water kept inspectors off some bridges, and expects a fuller figure in eight to 10 weeks. On US 160 alone, October left a culvert failure, a sinkhole, a damaged retaining wall and three to four miles of undercut road.

New Mexico officials put recovery from the October flood at $200 million to $300 million and are putting together a bid for a federal major disaster declaration. In Arizona, the Nov. 1 storm closed state highways around Sedona, and Flagstaff police reported one death and a second they believe was weather related, AP reported. How much the second storm adds to repair costs was still being assessed on Nov. 2.