{"id":1313373,"date":"2019-08-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/?p=985708"},"modified":"2019-08-09T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T06:00:00","slug":"emergency-projects-above-basalt-eased-sundays-flash-flood-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/local-news\/emergency-projects-above-basalt-eased-sundays-flash-flood-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Emergency projects above Basalt eased Sunday\u2019s flash flood damage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.8782608695652\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-985708-538\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times | Basalt Town Manager Ryan Mahoney on Thursday surveys the catch basin created by Eagle County on the mountainside above the town. Grading directs water into boulder-lined channels which lead to the pond.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Basalt Town Manager Ryan Mahoney on Thursday surveys the catch basin created by Eagle County on the mountainside above the town. Grading directs water into boulder-lined channels which lead to the pond.<\/strong><br \/>Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919.jpg\" alt=\"Basalt Town Manager Ryan Mahoney on Thursday surveys the catch basin created by Eagle County on the mountainside above the town. Grading directs water into boulder-lined channels which lead to the pond.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/Special to The Aspen Times | The catch basin above Pinon Drive in Basalt was full of mud on Monday after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash flooding.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>The catch basin above Pinon Drive in Basalt was full of mud on Monday after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash flooding.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/Special to The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-1.jpg\" alt=\"The catch basin above Pinon Drive in Basalt was full of mud on Monday after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash flooding.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott Condon\/The Aspen | The entrance to a culvert was widened and concrete barriers were placed near the intersection of Pinon and Cedar Drive to catch debris. Water overwhelmed the culvert during Sunday's downpour but it still handled a large share of the rain.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>The entrance to a culvert was widened and concrete barriers were placed near the intersection of Pinon and Cedar Drive to catch debris. Water overwhelmed the culvert during Sunday&#8217;s downpour but it still handled a large share of the rain.<\/strong><br \/>Scott Condon\/The Aspen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-2.jpg\" alt=\"The entrance to a culvert was widened and concrete barriers were placed near the intersection of Pinon and Cedar Drive to catch debris. Water overwhelmed the culvert during Sunday's downpour but it still handled a large share of the rain.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times | Sandbags are positioned at the intersection of Pinon and Cedar Drive to divert rainwater later in the monsoon cycle.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Sandbags are positioned at the intersection of Pinon and Cedar Drive to divert rainwater later in the monsoon cycle.<\/strong><br \/>Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-3.jpg\" alt=\"Sandbags are positioned at the intersection of Pinon and Cedar Drive to divert rainwater later in the monsoon cycle.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/special to The Aspen Times | A water diversion project sent water and mud into a horse pasture and away from structures along Two Rivers Road in Basalt after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash flooding.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>A water diversion project sent water and mud into a horse pasture and away from structures along Two Rivers Road in Basalt after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash flooding.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/special to The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-4.jpg\" alt=\"A water diversion project sent water and mud into a horse pasture and away from structures along Two Rivers Road in Basalt after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash flooding.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times | The Basalt town government placed sandbags on Sopris Drive to help divert water from a residence that was affected by Sunday's downpour. The sandbags will remain in place during monsoon season.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>The Basalt town government placed sandbags on Sopris Drive to help divert water from a residence that was affected by Sunday&#8217;s downpour. The sandbags will remain in place during monsoon season.<\/strong><br \/>Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-5.jpg\" alt=\"The Basalt town government placed sandbags on Sopris Drive to help divert water from a residence that was affected by Sunday's downpour. The sandbags will remain in place during monsoon season.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/special to The Aspen Times | Patrick Seurynck, right, helps his neighbor Doug McLaughlin clear mud from his driveway on Sopris Drive in Basalt on Monday after the flash flooding from the rainstorm Sunday night.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>Patrick Seurynck, right, helps his neighbor Doug McLaughlin clear mud from his driveway on Sopris Drive in Basalt on Monday after the flash flooding from the rainstorm Sunday night.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/special to The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.postindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/08\/floodmitigation-atd-080919-6.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Seurynck, right, helps his neighbor Doug McLaughlin clear mud from his driveway on Sopris Drive in Basalt on Monday after the flash flooding from the rainstorm Sunday night.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/local\/emergency-projects-above-basalt-eased-sundays-flash-flood-damage\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/local\/emergency-projects-above-basalt-eased-sundays-flash-flood-damage\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A large catch basin that Eagle County sculpted into the mountainside above Basalt in recent weeks prevented significantly more water, mud and debris from swamping part of the Hill District during Sunday\u2019s flash flood, officials said Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Eagle County Road and Bridge Department used heavy equipment to dig out a settlement pond and then used the dirt removed to regrade the hillside above the Basberg Townhouses. Boulders were placed in two drainage channels that led the water to the settlement pond. While water topped the pond during Sunday\u2019s downpour, a lot of it was captured. Thick, sludge-like water was still in the pond Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">This summer, the town of Basalt also created berms, added curb and gutter and installed a swale to direct water, all just uphill from the Basbergs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt was definitely a success,\u201d Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Chief Scott Thompson said of the project.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The work was part of a $1.35 million Emergency Watershed Protection Program project. The <a id=\"N0x1aa9250N0x1b14400:N0x1aa9250N0x1b05380\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/1-35-million-raised-for-flood-mitigation-projects-in-lake-christine-fire-burn-scar\/\">federal government supplied a $1.23 million grant<\/a> through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The state of Colorado contributed $153,359. Basalt, Eagle County and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are undertaking in-kind projects valued at $153,359, or 12.5%, to cover a local match.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The grant was administered by Basalt. Projects were identified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Engineering was provided by SGM, a consultant for Basalt town government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt Town Manager Ryan Mahoney said about 20% of the work has been completed. Additional projects have been identified above Basalt, on the hillside overlooking Ace Lane\u2019s Tree Farm property in El Jebel and on Basalt Mountain where it drops steeply to Upper Cattle Creek where several historic cabins are located.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Mahoney said he felt work performed at and around a culvert at the intersection of Pinon and Cedar drives in the Hill District also softened the blow of the flash flood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The town widened the area around the entrance to the culvert but it was still overwhelmed by the amount of water roaring down from a usually dry gulch on the mountain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got some river pigs \u2014 big concrete blocks \u2014 at the bottom of the drainage,\u201d he said. \u201cThose are to hold debris back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Water flowed down Cedar Drive in sheets and diverted into ground where it could. It washed out driveways, rutted roadway shoulders and covered lawns in mud. Water got into at least two homes in the Hill District. Like Thompson, Mahoney said it could have been worse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t have the same volume of water we would have had, had we done nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">While Basalt and Eagle County performed work on public lands, some of the grant money is being used for flood mitigation on private property. A contractor hired by the town was creating a boulder-lined channel for water rolling off the hillside above the Two Rivers Road residence of John and Anne Walker. Although the work wasn\u2019t completed, it worked well enough to divert the water and mud into a horse pasture alongside the road, as intended. Mahoney believes the work probably saved a small horse barn and shed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The threat of seasonal monsoons adds to the urgency of the projects. Mahoney said the midvalley would benefit for years from the work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis isn\u2019t necessarily to just capture this year\u2019s monsoon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Eagle County Emergency Manager Birch Barron said the road and bridge department will dredge sediment from the catch basin once it dries enough to maneuver heavy equipment in there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Basalt and Eagle County officials have been <a id=\"N0x1aa9250N0x1b144c0:N0x1aa9250N0x1b05ad0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/lake-christine-fires-threat-to-basalt-el-jebel-isnt-gone-yet\/\">warning for weeks<\/a> that flash floods and debris flows were a high risk if not a certainty in the Lake Christine Fire burn scar. The fire torched more than 12,500 acres on the lower slopes of Basalt Mountain last summer. Burn scars cannot absorb water as well as natural ground. Runoff didn\u2019t create a problem because of the slow transition to spring and summer, but officials were concerned about the summer monsoon. Sunday\u2019s storm stalled out on the south slopes of Basalt Mountain. The National Weather Service recorded about 1 inch of rain in Basalt and only one-third of an inch in El Jebel. The mountainside above Basalt likely received more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That much water in a short amount of time is bound to cause problems. Thompson noted that some homes in Elk Run subdivision were hit by water and mud that didn\u2019t come from Basalt Mountain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think some of this would have happened with or without the burn scar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Governments teamed to install three rain gauges on Basalt Mountain so the risk of flash flooding can be better assessed in the future. Those rain gauges were calibrated this week to ensure accurate readings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In addition, National Weather Service meteorologists visited Basalt Mountain with local emergency responders this week to get a better feel for the lay of the land. Thompson said Sunday\u2019s storm demonstrated that different sections of Basalt Mountain can experience vastly different weather.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The projects funded through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program will continue through the summer and into fall. All told, work will be undertaken in nine drainages, Mahoney said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.postindependent.com\/news\/local\/emergency-projects-above-basalt-eased-sundays-flash-flood-damage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Post Independent<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Basalt Town Manager Ryan Mahoney on Thursday surveys the catch basin created by Eagle County on the mountainside above the town. Grading directs water into boulder-lined channels which lead to the pond.Scott Condon\/The Aspen Times The catch basin above Pinon Drive in Basalt was full of mud on Monday after the Sunday rainstorm causing flash [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1313373","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-22 01:10:57","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSKE Ski Country","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1313373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1313373\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1313373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1313373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1313373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}