Flood Recovery Continues in Colorado

On Wednesday, September 11, of last year it started raining in Colorado. And then it just kept raining, and raining, and raining. By that Friday, many of us in Ayres’ Fort Collins office were scrambling to find a way to the office because all river crossings in Fort Collins were blocked, cutting the city in half from north to south. A contingent of our engineers happened to be at the annual Colorado Association of State Floodplain Managers conference in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Needless to say, they left the conference early (along with the rest of Colorado’s flood experts), in hopes the flood wouldn’t block their way home and they could help where needed.

It just so happens that flood control mitigation is one of Ayres’ specialties. As flood waters continued to rise, our engineers sprang into action, helping some of our top clients deal with the emergency. The flooding damaged nearly 2,000 square miles and washed out hundreds of miles of roads, cutting off access to many small mountain towns. A major effort was to help the City of Loveland save its critical water line. We provided immediate help to the City of Fort Collins and the City of Loveland, working evenings and weekends until the crisis passed. You can see the magnitude of the damage in the accompanying photos and read more about the water line project here and here.

The flood emergency work has since shifted to flood recovery. We’re working with Larimer County, the City of Loveland, Weld County, and the Colorado Department of Transportation on their post-flood projects, determining peak flood discharge rates, assessing damages to river channels, prioritizing repairs, and recommending permanent solutions. This work will continue well into the future as Colorado continues to find a way back to normal.