{"id":16085,"date":"2025-10-17T20:17:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T20:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/a-community-recovers-flood-cleanup-begins-at-vallecito\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:53:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:53:31","slug":"a-community-recovers-flood-cleanup-begins-at-vallecito","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/a-community-recovers-flood-cleanup-begins-at-vallecito\/","title":{"rendered":"A community recovers: Flood cleanup begins at Vallecito"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=4513e000-c3d4-5e1f-b270-dff9025b024b&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1361\" alt=\"Brandon Faulkenburg, a part-time resident in northern Vallecito, clears debris and diverts water around his neighbor\u2019s home on Thursday. Faulkenburg\u2019s home escaped damage, but he wanted to help his neighbor. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Brandon Faulkenburg, a part-time resident in northern Vallecito, clears debris and diverts water around his neighbor\u2019s home on Thursday. Faulkenburg\u2019s home escaped damage, but he wanted to help his neighbor. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>VALLECITO \u2013 Residents evacuated from the Vallecito Reservoir area were given the green light to return home Thursday morning. Beginning about 8 a.m., they slowly trickled back into the community they had fled days earlier as floodwaters rose.<\/p>\n<p>Many of those checking in at the reentry tent, staffed by La Plata County Search and Rescue, expressed gratitude for being \u201clucky ones\u201d whose homes avoided the brunt of the damage.<\/p>\n<p>The Vallecito area was among the hardest hit by last weekend\u2019s heavy rain, which forced the evacuation of nearly 400 homes as creeks and rivers across La Plata County overflowed.<\/p>\n<p>With the worst of the weather over, roads and lawns have dried significantly, and the water level in Vallecito Creek has dropped rapidly.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, the creek dropped from <a href=\"https:\/\/waterdata.usgs.gov\/monitoring-location\/USGS-09352900\/#dataTypeId=continuous-00065-0&amp;period=P7D&amp;showFieldMeasurements=true\" id=\"link-b685dfa0b649f47fb1e707011345f94f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6 feet <\/a>to less than 3 feet. The flow, which peaked at <a href=\"https:\/\/waterdata.usgs.gov\/monitoring-location\/USGS-09352900\/#dataTypeId=continuous-00060-0&amp;period=P7D&amp;showFieldMeasurements=true\" id=\"link-de9dc70ca49e33cba77893272ad01e4a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">6,920 cubic feet per second<\/a>, had fallen to 894 cfs.<\/p>\n<p>The area remains under a boil-water advisory, and officials warn floodwaters may have carried E. coli from compromised septic systems. Internet service remains down across much of the area.<\/p>\n<p>American Red Cross volunteers arrived early to distribute cleaning kits, personal protective gear, rakes, shovels, prepacked meals, snacks and water \u2013 \u201ca lot of water,\u201d one volunteer said.<\/p>\n<p>La Plata County delivered 100 water-testing kits to the aid station to help residents assess the safety of their well and tap water.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/piPstzO3lGc\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>At the Mountain River 2 Co-op, lower-elevation properties bore the worst of the flooding. One home on a cul-de-sac still sat in ankle-deep water Thursday morning.<\/p>\n<p>Shovel in hand, Brandon Faulkenburg waded through the standing water, digging trenches to redirect runoff and slow erosion. The home wasn\u2019t his \u2013 Faulkenburg, who lives in Boulder with his wife, owns a property across the street.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying to be a friendly neighbor, especially since I don\u2019t have any damage to my own property,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019d want someone to do the same for me if I was in that position.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=3d02ee07-5f6c-5bdd-8bf5-84afa9ce391a&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1375\" alt=\"Pat Terry, a full-time northern Vallecito resident, picks up cleaning supplies from Red Cross workers Alyson Shaff, center, and Rhonda Eppard on Thursday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Pat Terry, a full-time northern Vallecito resident, picks up cleaning supplies from Red Cross workers Alyson Shaff, center, and Rhonda Eppard on Thursday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>Others shared that sentiment. Trey Sweet, whose home narrowly escaped damage, spent Thursday driving through the neighborhood looking for ways to help.<\/p>\n<p>Small groups of neighbors walked the area, assessing damage, taking photos and helping on properties surrounded by water.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecovery has to be a community effort,\u201d Sweet said.<\/p>\n<p>What that will entail, however, remains uncertain.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the neighborhoods in the path of the flood are privately owned, meaning damaged roads \u2013 many of them pitted and covered in debris \u2013 are not the responsibility of the county or the state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s hard to say what the cleanup efforts will take, or what kind of help we\u2019ll be eligible to get right now,\u201d said John Sylvester, another full-time resident. Some steps and the bank on his property were swept away by the water, but other than that there was no significant damage.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=e38a183b-eeae-549b-986a-91cfd6d5a4a7&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1365\" alt=\"Ben Powell, with La Plata County Search and Rescue, issues David Kontje and his son Carter, 2, a Rapid Tag on Thursday that allows them to come and go. Kontje did not evacuate during the flood. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Ben Powell, with La Plata County Search and Rescue, issues David Kontje and his son Carter, 2, a Rapid Tag on Thursday that allows them to come and go. Kontje did not evacuate during the flood. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=8b135ec1-94c6-58b9-a4af-834ef1e47170&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1347\" alt=\"Inspectors walk through a northern Vallecito neighborhood on Thursday, checking connections on propane tanks and making sure the dwellings are safe to occupy. Most residents were allowed back to their properties on Thursday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">Inspectors walk through a northern Vallecito neighborhood on Thursday, checking connections on propane tanks and making sure the dwellings are safe to occupy. Most residents were allowed back to their properties on Thursday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>La Plata County building assessors in blue safety vests and rubber boots waded through areas, inspecting homes for structural damage.<\/p>\n<p>Early assessments suggest most structures are still sound, though many sustained varying levels of water damage.<\/p>\n<p>For homeowners who sustained serious damage, the rebuild process will likely be lengthy and costly, Faulkenburg said. One of his neighbors, whose home was one of the two demolished, had been unable to secure flood insurance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou just can\u2019t get insurance on a lot of these places,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd insurance agencies these days will drop you for having bad breath.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite the lingering aftermath of an event that upended hundreds of lives for days \u2013 and for some, likely weeks \u2013 Vallecito\u2019s full-time residents aren\u2019t second-guessing where they live.<\/p>\n<p>If anything, the flooding seemed to reaffirm their decision to live in this remote, largely undeveloped corner of the county, surrounded by steep, forested hills now glowing with the yellows and oranges of fall colors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis hasn\u2019t changed my mind at all,\u201d said Sylvester, standing outside his home Thursday morning. \u201cRight now, it looks like I live in a national park.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For him, the natural beauty outweighs the risk.<\/p>\n<p>Many others shared the sentiment.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"wp-block-image naviga-inline-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/imengine.public.prod.dur.navigacloud.com\/?uuid=bed3684e-f4ea-5ece-bf69-4e7834255d04&amp;function=cover&amp;type=preview&amp;source=false&amp;width=2000\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1373\" alt=\"An excavator stabilizes Vallecito Creek\u2019s banks on Thursday after floodwaters receded after several days of flooding. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)\" class=\"naviga-image\" loading=\"lazy\"><figcaption><span class=\"caption\">An excavator stabilizes Vallecito Creek\u2019s banks on Thursday after floodwaters receded after several days of flooding. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><span class=\"credit\">cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><p>David Kontje, who stayed through the storm with his wife and 2-year-old son, said the experience has only deepened his appreciation for the area \u2013 not just for the scenery and the closeness to nature, but also for the people who call Vallecito home.<\/p>\n<p>Kontje\u2019s neighborhood had the good luck of high elevation, putting him and many of his neighbors who stayed out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur little pocket of the world is fantastic,\u201d he said. \u201cOur neighbors are people we can depend on for anything. It (the flood) just shows the importance of having self-sufficient communities and relying on your neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em id=\"emphasis-6f065170b4ae22b43ab15908ff9b5bab\"><a href=\"mailto:jbowman@durangoherald.com\">jbowman@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Residents return home after record floods<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1152,1497,28,1394],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-16085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-emergency-incident","tag-flood","tag-headlines","tag-vallecito-reservoir"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16085"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20007,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16085\/revisions\/20007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16085"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=16085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}