Colorado Flooding: First Looks At the Devastation

"The problem with this event is that it affects every road of the county," "It’s a sinking feeling to know that if someone calls 9-1-1, we’re not going to be able to reach them," and "We don't know what we don't know," said by Joe Pelle, Boulder County Sheriff of one of the affected areas. These are words you don't want to hear when you have loved ones in the path of destruction.

Loveland, Ft. Collins, Greeley, Lyons, and other smaller towns are severely impacted by the flooding. The Big Thompson River, the same that flash flooded in 1976 and killed 143 people, has destroyed everything near the narrows of the canyon. Other portions along the river are not as bad, but portions of missing highway are isolating more people where it's the only way out.

In Longmont, portions of railroad served as levy and dike to protect some neighborhoods, while other sections of railroad (and neighborhoods) lay completely underwater. See the raw footage:



If the weather cooperates, I'm speculating the damage to railroad infrastructure and the counties' roads will take months to fully repair. I hope, for Colorado's sake, that I'm wrong. That's not nearly as bad as the potential cost in lives, which stands at 3 but could definitely climb in the next few days and weeks. I'm praying the break in the weather holds.◊

Front Range Flooding Affects BNSF, UP

There have been widespread road closures due to flooding, including I-25 in both directions from Denver to the Wyoming state line. In my experience, any disruption that affects a road will affect a railroad to some extent, with an emphasis on proximity to the source. This holds true for this week's craziness. Greeley--I've just learned--is inundated.

Colorado's Woes Owed to Historic Rainfall

While Colorado has had occasional and rare stretches of showers and overcast skies, the rainfall this week has shattered records. In some places, over half a year's worth of rain fell in a few short days. No one I know can recall this kind of flooding ever happening here. Ever.

Erosion fascinates me. Water under pressure does amazing things. Canyons thought to form over millennia can happen within days, as witnessed on Mt. Saint Helens, given the right pressure, viscosity and debris. Dams thought secure can overtop and within minutes begin to tear open. And as witnessed this week on network TV, roads can be eaten out from under cars while people sit inside unaware and in grave danger.

Considering the weight of locomotives, cars and cargo, imagine what a pair of rails need to stay solid. Railroads are only as good as the ballast beneath them. Still, there's something else I noticed today.

Colorado's cities (red) and railroads (dashed lines). Quick and ugly map created on nationalatlas.gov
The northern half of the Front Range Urban Corridor is highlighted.

When you look at the state's railroads, perhaps the most densely developed railroad corridor is the northern Front Range, the piedmont between Denver and Wyoming, and ground zero for our disaster. Clearly, the worst place to have a flood in Colorado--as far as rail is concerned--is right there. It's development fueled the 19th and 20th century economies for Colorado and the rest of the mountain states. History runs thick. This area saw the first rail connection for Denver and the then-Territory of Colorado with the rest of the nation on the Pacific railroad. These rails served the introduction for thousands of travelers making their way to Colorado for a holiday or a new life to settle as a pioneer.

Ironically, Amtrak's Pioneer traveled the same rails, but in the opposite direction from Denver northward to Seattle until the early 90s. Since then, only the California Zephyr continues to grace Denver's presence. While Amtrak hasn't issued any information regarding the status of the daily Zephyr, both Class I railroads in Colorado have issued statements.

Class I Railroads Affected

Union Pacific issued a statement yesterday regarding the impact of the storms, indicating a likely delay of 24 hours for the affected areas including Limon, Colorado Springs, Commerce City, Rolla and Greeley.

BNSF issued a more detailed statement today regarding specific locations, saying,

The track at South Colorado Springs, Colorado is out of service due to washout. South Colorado Springs, Colorado is approximately 72 miles south of Denver, Colorado. The main track is expected to return to service later this evening, Friday, September 13, 2013.

The tracks at Boulder, Colorado and Loveland, Colorado are out of service due to multiple washouts. Boulder, Colorado is approximately 30 miles northwest of Denver, Colorado, and Loveland, Colorado is approximately 52 miles north of Denver, Colorado. No estimated return to service has been issued yet. Customers between Broomfield, Colorado, and Dixon, Colorado, will not be serviced until track is restored.

You can bet the MOW gangs are going to have a time making the weak sections solid again.

Stay dry, folks! Hopefully, we've seen the worst of it.◊

Caterpillars Versus Aspen Fall Colors

Fall colors on Kebler Pass 2012
Photo by Aakash sahai, CCL3.0

Fall colors in Colorado are beautiful if you time it right. A golden week of Aspen color makes its way through Colorado--north to south--from early September to mid-October. If you time it right, the Rockies are alight with gold with hints of orange and red. If not, the gold is still easy to find, but not nearly as plentiful.

It's usually one or the other for my family when we go. Most years, anyway.

I've been hearing some disturbing rumors that the season will be severely affected or possibly killed outright in some regions like far southern Colorado and northern New Mexico by a rampaging herd of caterpillars. Tent worms or tent caterpillars apparently love to munch aspen leaves. As though the fires earlier this year and the perennial beetle kill in other parts of the state weren't enough, we now may have a total lack of foliage in some formerly picturesque spots.

Steam Train Videos has a shot of one of James Parfrey's latest trips shot earlier this 2013 season. It turns out the infestation was turning the tracks into a slippery ...well, if you care about insects, you probably shouldn't watch. I can't imagine what bird--except a Mudhen like 463--wouldn't mind growing fat on these things, especially after a train ...wounds so many of them. On the bright side, aspen leaves are good for salicylates, the key ingredient in aspirin, so when the train crushes one of the buggers, they might not feel pain ...at least not as much.



According to a family friend, folks are saying that the aspens can take this for a year or even two, but continued over-grazing by the Tent caterpillar could negatively affect the aspen stands in a permanent way. Let's hope they're wrong. I don't truly know how severe it is for this season or for every location, but a well-timed call to the Cumbres & Toltec or your specific railroad of choice may keep your fall trip from going bust.

For more, watch the video below. It's a bit alarmist, but like the guy says, time will tell.◊