{"id":73977,"date":"2019-08-14T19:34:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T01:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/7-million-being-spent-to-protect-homes-from-416-fire-flooding\/"},"modified":"2019-08-15T01:34:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-15T01:34:00","slug":"7-million-being-spent-to-protect-homes-from-416-fire-flooding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/7-million-being-spent-to-protect-homes-from-416-fire-flooding\/","title":{"rendered":"$7 million being spent to protect homes from 416 Fire flooding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"From
From left, Jason Reimer with SGM, Rod Clark with Natural Resources Conservation Service, Catherine Carella with SGM and Jordan Dimick with SGM examine property along Hermosa Creek to determine how to fortify homes and other structures to protect them from potential flooding from the 416 Fire burn scar.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Sandbags, concrete barriers, ditch reconstruction \u2013 about $7 million will be spent to protect residents north of Durango from flooding and debris flows, the new reality post 416 Fire.<\/p>\n

For the past few weeks, crews with La Plata County, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and SGM, a Glenwood Springs-based engineering firm, have been surveying properties, mostly around Hermosa, figuring out what can be done to fortify homes and other structures.<\/p>\n

In about three to four weeks, project managers hope to break ground on the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a major fire like this (the 416 Fire), people need help,\u201d said Butch Knowlton, emergency manager for La Plata County.<\/p>\n

Soils burned in a fire no longer have the ability to absorb moisture, so there\u2019s an increased risk of flash flooding for homes and properties when heavy rains hit.<\/p>\n

These fears were realized last July and September<\/a>, when torrential rains damaged homes and businesses around Hermosa.<\/p>\n

\"Jordan
Jordan Dimick with SGM photographs property along Hermosa Creek to help determine how to protect homes from floodwaters. A study estimated it would take about $7 million to perform a range of safety measures on about 120 homes in the path of potential flooding.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Knowlton said there hasn\u2019t been a comprehensive cost estimate for how much damage was done during the flooding events. However, it wasn\u2019t cheap. For some homes in the Pine Townhomes, 2 to 7 feet of mud entered the residences, he said, requiring extensive cleanup.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a lot, a lot of money for some of those people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Monitoring incoming storms that may cause flooding now requires constant vigilance from county and emergency managers in the area. A temporary radar system was brought in this year to help with the effort until a permanent location is secured.<\/p>\n

Megan Graham, spokeswoman for La Plata County, said that after the fire, the National Resources Conservation Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners, conducted a damage survey report.<\/p>\n

The study estimated it would take about $7 million to perform a range of safety measures on about 120 homes in the path of potential flooding. But not all that cost will fall to the homeowner, she said.<\/p>\n

The NRCS will cover 75% of the bill, and the state of Colorado will pick up 12.5%, leaving the remaining 12.5% to the property owner.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great option for property owners \u2026 to provide critical resources for people who need assistance from potential flooding,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to seeing some of the solutions unfold on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

On a recent survey, Jordan Dimick, a senior engineer with SGM, said there are two goals of the project: prevent loss of human life and protect property. Surveying started at the top of the watershed, so as to take into account and not affect downstream properties as water flows toward the Animas River.<\/p>\n

\"From
From left, Rod Clark with Natural Resources Conservation Service, Jason Reimer with SGM, Jordan Dimick with SGM and Catherine Carella with SGM discuss how properties along Hermosa Creek can be protected from potential flooding from the 416 Fire burn scar.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

A variety of methods will be implemented, from strategic placing of sandbags, redirecting how stormwater flows across property, to stabilizing the banks of Hermosa Creek and other drainages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get creative,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Past flooding events, and the monsoon this summer, have allowed project managers to better understand where problem areas are in the wake of the 416 Fire, which has caused flooding in areas that previously never experienced it.<\/p>\n

One area of particular concern is Tripp Creek, which runs through a long and narrow canyon that starts around 10,500 feet in elevation and drops into the Animas Valley at Hermosa. Tripp Creek, which historically didn\u2019t experience flooding, now threatens hundreds of homes and structures.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of homes are in harm\u2019s way,\u201d Dimick said. \u201cIt\u2019s an urgent area.\u201d<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s hard to predict what water will do, said Rod Clark with NRCS, especially in a new landscape formed by a large fire. A 10-year flooding event can quickly turn into a 100-year event, affecting more people.<\/p>\n

In assessing homes for the project, Clark said project managers have used the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s 500-year floodplain maps as a guide to be extra cautious.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to look at it sort of a like a detective,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause if something happens in the middle of the night, there\u2019s little warning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Measures taken during the $7 million project are expected to remain in place for about two to five years, Dimick said, as vegetation grows back on the burn scar and stabilizes the ground.<\/p>\n

Bobby Duthie, a local attorney representing more than 25 La Plata County residents and business owners in a lawsuit accusing the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad of starting the fire, declined to comment about whether his clients are part of the NRCS project and are seeking to recoup their share of the project costs from the train.<\/p>\n

In July, the U.S. Forest Service announced the D&SNG started the 416 Fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Regardless, if all goes according to schedule with the permitting and planning process, crews could start moving ground by the end of August.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to get it done as fast as we can,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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