Entire Town Of Lafayette Was Dangerously Close To Being Without Water
LAFAYETTE, Colo. (CBS4) - Gov. John Hickenlooper took a tour of the Baseline Reservoir in Boulder County on Tuesday. It came dangerously close to flooding nearby neighborhoods and possibly cutting off the water supply to the entire town of Lafayette.
"I heard about this dam being at risk," Hickenlooper said.
In September the dam at the Baseline Reservoir nearly snapped. In his first tour of the area since the flood Hickenlooper learned how close the city came to losing its water supply.
"We're trying to collect all of the stories and see what worked and what didn't work during the floods and come first hand and examine places where we were perilously close to an even worse catastrophe," Hickenlooper said.
The water came so high it started to erode the dam, and if the dam would have broken it would have flooded the elementary school that sits below the dam and the neighborhood would have been underwater.
While the flood water rose city leaders worked with engineers through the night clearing debris and reinforcing the dam to protect the land and property below.
"I love the image. There were five guys here all night Saturday night making sure this dam didn't fail," Hickenlooper said. "That's heroism, that's pure, flat out heroism, right?"
Lafayette leaders say it was a disaster that was prevented by the quick thinking of city engineers and Hickenlooper's staff.
Colorado Floods: How To Help
The recent floods are impacting families and communities throughout Colorado, so CBS4 has compiled a list of ways you can support the local communities impacted by the floods.
More September Flooding Stories
