- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
The ongoing flooding in the Boulder area is being echoed in other locations along the Front Range, including in El Paso and Larimer counties.
The former has already seen one fatality: A thus-far unidentified body was found near Fountain Creek in the Colorado Springs area. And there's been a dam break in the latter -- one that has already triggered additional evacuations.
More details below.
The hash tag #waldoflood is being used for tweets about the flooding around the Springs -- an indication that much of the concern over runoff is centered on the area where the Waldo Canyon fire devastated so much of the landscape.
The tragic events aren't over. Moments ago, the Colorado Springs Police Department tweeted the following:
Sad news this morning, an unidentified body was recovered from Fountain Ck near Nevada and Las Vegas Sts. #WaldoFlood
— Springs Police (@CSPDPIO) September 12, 2013
Below, get a look at Fountain Creek via a Vine posted by Isaac Blancas:
Meanwhile, in Larimer County, the deluge is causing significant problems as well. Here's a Larimer County Sheriff's Office tweet from earlier this morning:
We have confirmation that Meadow Lake Dam has broke near CR47. Extrication operations underway. Awaiting status update.
— Larimer Sheriff (@LarimerSheriff) September 12, 2013
Fortunately, the situation doesn't appear to be dire, as noted by this followup message....
The amount of water from broken Meadow Lake dam is believed to be relatively small. Trying to determine what impact might be.
— Larimer Sheriff (@LarimerSheriff) September 12, 2013
...but emergency personnel aren't taking any chances:
Emergency notifications sent to 400 contacts in Big Elk Meadow, Pine Springs and Blue Mountain area regarding dam break.
— Larimer Sheriff (@LarimerSheriff) September 12, 2013
And the worst may not be over. Moments ago, the sheriff's office revealed that a flash-flood warning for Big Thompson Canyon, site of a 1976 flood that destroyed hundreds of homes, has been extended until 5 p.m. tonight.
More from our News archive: "Videos: Boulder-area flooding kills one, closes city and CU."
Keep Westword Free... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Denver with no paywalls.
