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High Water In Glenwood Canyon Leaves Behind Damage

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (CBS4) - The water in Colorado's rivers and streams is starting to recede after a winter that brought a lot of snow and a spring that brought a lot of rain.

That water is receding and starting to reveal areas that have been heavily damaged by all that water and snowmelt.

Glenwood Bike Path
Damage to the Glenwood Bike Path (credit: CBS)

Even though the rapids are still going strong on the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs, it's what the water is leaving behind on its banks and along the popular Glenwood Bike Path that is causing concern.

"There are some trees as big as a pickup on parts of the bike path. How they got there I don't know but I would have liked to have seen it," said Colorado Department of Transportation Maintenance spokesman Monte Montgomery.

"The high water rose high enough that it got on our bike path."

CDOT is still deciding how this will be fixed and how much that will cost. The good news is there is less damage than 2011 when the river left behind $1.5 million in damage.

There are still miles of path that are causing concern and slowing down clean up efforts.

"Right now with the undercutting of some of the path I cannot get equipment down here. The cement will break away," said Montgomery.

It's likely the four mile stretch of bike path that his most damaged will be closed all summer.

"It's been closed since the middle part of May. The high water started then, then the damage started from there," said Montgomery.

In some areas the water is still very close to the path.

There hasn't been any damage to the road system through Glenwood Canyon.

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