Boulder's 1,000 Year Flood Event (With Photos)

My brother-in-law will have his 75th birthday in 5 days.  Five years ago, knowing the family would throw a huge party for his 70th (if he were here), he and my sister left for Washington state for a private celebration without electronics or news alerts.  I stayed at their house while they were gone.  Fourmile Canyon Creek runs at the edge of their property, and the Silver Lake Irrigation Ditch runs through the back yard, and then alongside the creek.  Jim has always been fascinated with water flow in the area, and had stated for years that he'd like to be able to observe a flood event.  He missed it.
  The first week of September 2013 was very warm, with temperatures in the 90s (F) and two high record breaking days.  A cold front was due, and a little rain.  The rain began to fall on 9 September, and the high temperatures dropped by 30 degrees.  In a period of eight days, Boulder, itself, recorded 17.24 inches of rain - almost our yearly average...  the irrigation ditches flooded, streams and creeks flooded.  It was  an amazing event.  I went back to my apartment after the second day of rain, unplugged everything, and placed everything else on counters and tables.  I took my two cats to my sister and brother-in-laws house, which had two stories.
   I went out and about wearing my brother-in-law's fish waders, and helped people in the neighborhood move and adjust their belongings.  There is a slight rise in my brother-in-law's yard and that's what saved his house.  The floodwaters rose in the edges of the yard, but stopped 15 to 20 feet away from the walls and foundations.  They were lucky - especially in the act they had no basement.
  Boulder was hit hard by the flooding 8 people lost their lives; 1,102 people were air-lifted from their homes and/or vehicles, and another 707 were evacuated by boat and road combinations - and that doesn't count pets who were evacuated, too.   All in all, more than 150 miles of county roads were destroyed, and over 1,000 homes were destroyed or damaged.  Reconstruction is continuing today, with the last cost estimate at $3 billion-plus.
  My sister and brother-in-law finally caught a glimpse of the news of the Boulder flooding during the last day of the rain - and it was a YouTube film that the neighbor who lives two doors down had shot, showing the entire street was washed away in front of his home.  I suddenly received a panicked call from Washington state.  I was able to convince them that their property was fine, if water-logged around the edges.  The other neighbors - not so good.  So far, most of their neighborhood has recovered and returned almost to normal - but when it rains and the winds howl, folks look askance at the sky....

My sister and brother-in-law live on Topaz Drive...

 This is a photo of Boulder Canyon

 Downtown

A home in Jamestown, after the water receded

 Topaz Drive, where the road washed away - 50 feet from

my sister and brother-in-law's home

More Rain; Flood Repair

Normally, I love rain and snow.  Colorado has a semi-arid climate and seems to always need rain.  But we don't need rain again today, after the 100-year flood that happened two weeks ago. It is, however, raining - a light rain, little heavier than a heavy mist, or a "nice soft day" in Scotland...  but enough to make the roads slick, and dampen the mud, and make outside activities seem unappealing.  The last weather forecast I heard said it would be cloudy this morning, but that the rain wouldn't arrive until late this afternoon; so I traveled over to Rosie's with my umbrella, but I returned home without walking her.  It was too wet and cold.  But I was able to deliver a large set of "flood photos" to Jim this morning - the majority of shots are of his yard, Four Mile Creek, and his immediate neighborhood.  He was able to see the Boulder Greenways display of flood maps yesterday, and was greatly surprised at what the water did, and did not, do.  Reconstruction work is going apace on Topaz Drive - I think the exposed natural gas pipeline that was 5 to 6 feet below the road surface (originally) had a lot to do with the Topaz work getting such a big jump-start.
  With the nasty weather, Nedi is curled up on the afghan on my bed, and Lovey is in my dirty clothes basket.  I have my rear window about half open, and can see the rain slanting down in front of the wooden fence.  I did fall down again yesterday - tripped over the roots of a cottonwood in Kathy and Jim's backyard.  I have walked over and through those roots a million times without tripping - I guess Wednesday and Thursday were my Fall days....  When I fell, I again landed on my left knee, which puffed up enormously, as well as onto my chest, knocking all of my breath out.  Rosie and Boo wanted to implement mouth-to-mouth, but I insisted that I was OK, so they finally sat down and wagged their tails at me as I climbed s-l-o-w-l-y to my feet.  Then they were off, chasing rubber bones and bouncing balls...
  I'm getting excited about my trip to Oklahoma City... there is such a wide variety of things to do and see that I haven't been able to decide where I want to spend my extra time.  The Stockyards is a definite yes, but there are also so many other extremely diverse areas to explore.  I'll probably end up deciding on the spur of the moment, once I arrive.
 

Boulder Colorado Post-Flood Photos - Topaz Drive, One Week After the Flood Waters Hit

The Echols' house at Topaz and 26th Street (see yesterday's flood photo)

East end of Topaz Drive; the water pushed the shed through a fence and hedge

What's left of Topaz Drive, proceeding west from 26th

We're still being covered by television news

The natural gas line that supplies Topaz Drive

Topaz Drive is on this side of the mud berm

Some of the fill, where residents are using silt and mud to fill in the rift in Topaz

Sarah Hallowell's driveway, just to the east of Four Mile Creek

Four Mile Creek is back within its' banks on the east side of my sister's property

Topaz Drive, looking west past Kathy and Jim's house

All of the above photos were taken today, Thursday, 19 September 2013 about 9:30 in the morning.  Four Mile Creek over-flowed its' banks at 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 September, and spread out to the east, covering 6 square blocks...  Four Mile Creek is a seasonal creek, and is usually dry 40 weeks of the year.

North Boulder Flood Photos

This car contained two teens who wanted to look at the flood waters on Linden Drive.  Both kids drowned.

Schuler home at 19th Street and Upland Avenue - note that the force of the water has buckled the entire front wall out of plumb...

Sunday morning - Looking south along Broadway; the traffic light marks the Violet intersection.

Olde Stage Road was one of the original trails (or streets) in Boulder County

The Echols' house Thursday morning  - looking north on 26th Street toward Topaz Drive

Topaz Drive, the east end, on Thursday morning, 12 September 2013 -  one can see the asphalt road beginning to buckle

Flood Water Photos

Boulder Creek, 300 feet south of my apartment on Folsom Street

A mule deer, trying to avoid people and flood waters

House at the corner of Upland Avenue and 19th Street

Underneath the blue "Broadway" sign is the walkway I usually use to walk to the Public Library - the pathway will accommodate 10 bicyclists and 6 pedestrians moving abreast

This is 26th Street at the top of Topaz Drive, taken from the top of Agate Drive, looking north - Kathy and Jim's house is the sixth house back; and the water was only covered 15 feet of the corner of their yard.

Kudos to our US Mail Carrier, Mike Posniewsky, who managed to deliver everyone's mail every single day!

The water slammed the residents', across the street, two vehicles together...

Close look at what's left of Topaz Drive, east of my sister and brother-in-law's home