The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — The high-flying Elk River backed off during the day Monday, but the National Weather Service predicted the river would crest above flood stage again Monday night, posing a threat to buildings in the vicinity of U.S. Highway 40 and Routt County Road 44, about 7 miles west of Steamboat Springs.

The Elk peaked just over its 7-foot flood stage about 1:30 a.m. Monday, but by late morning had retreated to 6.73 feet.

Routt County Emergency Ma­­nagement Director Chuck Vale said the overnight event did not pose any human impacts, but he remained cautious about what might happen later this week.

“I left my place (in North Routt County) at 4 a.m. this morning and drove the whole length of the river,” Vale said. “I was expecting to see the lower Elk in trouble, but it’s OK. Today, we have high water … (Monday night) and (tonight), we may have high water on top of high water.”

The Elk and other rivers in Northwest Colorado and Utah are under a flood warning imposed by the National Weather Service in Grand Junction. The warning also applies to the Yampa River at Deer Lodge Park in western Moffat County, where there are no homes, and the Green River near Jensen, Utah.

The combination of an unusual amount of water stored in the snowpack for this late date, and the sudden arrival of summer-like temperatures is contributing to the danger.

The Weather Service called for a high of 77 degrees Monday, the warmest day of the year thus far, and anticipates overnight temperatures remaining above 40 degrees with a high of 79 today.

Complicating the situation is a snowpack that still was increasing less than two weeks ago, and in many sites around the Yampa and White river drainages, the snowpack is well above average for the date.

A case in point is the Natural Resources Conservation Service snow-measuring site on the Elk River above Clark. Remote sensing equipment maintained by the Conservation Service shows that at 8,700 feet elevation, the terrain surrounding the site still contains 12.6 inches of water. That’s not a lot of water compared to the amount stored elsewhere. For example, the west summit of Rabbit Ears Pass still holds 31.1 inches at 9,400 feet, and the Tower site on the summit of Buffalo Pass holds 50.2 inches.

However, the Tower site is right on par for May 19, and the Rabbit Ears site is 135 percent of average. But the Elk River site is a notable 229 percent of average.

Saddle Mountain Ranch, which is bracketed by the east and west forks of the Elk River, saw flooding on Memorial Day 2003 after a half-inch of rain fell in the valley.

The answering machine of the current owners reports they have already moved their cattle to higher ground and are preparing for flooding.

The rising waters of the Elk River came within inches of reaching the ranch house in 2003, but cutting a ditch through the driveway of the ranch diverted the water.

The Yampa River where it runs through Steamboat remained several feet below flood stage even as the Elk was pushing its limits. Vale said Oak Creek still is under control, and Steamboat Springs Assistant Fire Chief Bob Struble reported that Butcherknife Creek was within its banks in Old Town Steamboat Springs, but there were some sandbags on the streambank in Stehley Park.

Vale said he believes work done to stabilize riverbanks and clean channels in the past few years has mitigated the flood threat. He said he toured Marabou ranch preservation subdivision off Routt County Road 42 and was impressed with the way stream improvements there had cleaned up old cottonwood trunks and other obstructions in the river.