Flooding Concerns Rise In Western Colorado, High Country
LEADVILLE, Colo. (CBS4) - The warm temperatures across Colorado the past two days and recent severe storms have created some issues on the western half of the state with regards to flooding.
County Road 9 in Lake County has been closed because of concerns that water may have impacted the integrity of the road.
It's one of many roads in Western Colorado that have been closed because of high runoff or rising water levels.
Colorado's amazing ski season and snowpack have turned into flooding concerns across much of the western and northern portions of the state and along the Front Range.
In Grand County, the upper Colorado River has flooded fields and forced campers to move to higher ground as water levels rise.
Over the weekend at least one county road was closed as water streaming out of Rocky Mountain National Park overwhelmed the banks.
The same can be said for an area around Steamboat Springs. Water levels in that region have closed a number of paths and trails.
The Yampa River has overwhelmed a campground, something that is almost a yearly occurrence.
"We have a lot more water flowing that we have in the past and it's always hard to anticipate that," said Lake County Office Of Emergency Management spokeswoman Betty Benson.
Lake County Road 9 is a popular route to Turquoise Lake but even after the culverts filled up and were cleared of water, the headwaters of the Arkansas River were still running high and fast.
"It depends on the weather, if it gets really hot and the snow starts to melt even more quickly then that's an issue. We often see snow on the mountain peaks until maybe mid-July," said Benson.
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