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A combination of evening rain and an early summer warm spell prompted Turkey Creek in Red Cliff to crest its banks Sunday evening into Monday morning.
The call went out Sunday night that Turkey Creek — which runs off Shrine Pass through town — was rising quickly. The rushing water damaged two homes.
Tracy LeClair, the public information officer for the Eagle River Fire Protection District, said one of the biggest concerns is a natural gas line that runs under a bridge in town. That worry brought a crew from Xcel Energy to town.
Volunteers were asked to help fill sandbags in the late-evening hours.
Just two homes took on water during the flooding on Sunday night and early Monday morning. Utilities were cut off to both of those homes, one of which was unoccupied. People in the other home were able to stay with relatives in town.
Floodwaters from Turkey Creek also prompted officials to close the Shrine Pass Road, which runs from the top of Vail Pass down into Red Cliff.
While there isn’t much precipitation in the forecast for the next couple of days, LeClair said the National Weather Service has issued possible flood warnings for the next couple of days.
The problem is that overnight temperatures have been in the 40s at higher elevations. That means snowmelt continues through the overnight hours instead of easing.
“There’s still quite a bit of snow up high,” LeClair said, and constant melting will swell local streams.
Officials are continuing to monitor the creek.
And, while the water isn’t threatening utility lines, LeClair said debris carried in the floodwaters can potentially do a lot of damage. Red Cliff’s public works crew is working to spot debris and pull it from the creek.
The response Sunday night brought people from several local agencies. The Eagle County Road and Bridge Department brought a truckload of sand and bags. Minturn’s public works department contributed manpower and equipment.
At the moment, a lot of sandbags are in place, and officials are keeping close watch on the creek.
At the other end of the valley, the National Weather Service on Monday issued a flood warning for the Eagle River near Gypsum. The warning is in effect until Wednesday, July 3.
At 11:15 a.m. Monday, the river was running at 9.5 feet. Flood stage is nine feet. At nine feet, water is flooding agricultural land between Eagle and Gypsum.
Some homes along the Eagle River in Gypsum can begin to flood when the river exceeds nine feet, particularly streamside homes along River View Road, Porphyry Road, Price Lane, Park View Lane and Willowstone Place.
The 9.5-foot crest is the highest since the river crested at 9.1 feet on June 18, 1995.
Vail Daily Business Editor Scott Miller can be reached at smiller@vaildaily.com or 970-748-2930.