Sewage spills, damaged culverts follow flooding in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah
Floodwaters from last week’s storm in the Four Corners region shut down or disrupted wastewater plants in New Mexico, caused sewage spills from lift stations in Colorado, and damaged bridges and culverts in Utah.
Flooding temporarily shut down the water reclamation facility in Bloomfield, New Mexico. Wastewater entering the city’s sewer system flowed into the San Juan River without normal treatment, the city said in a release Friday. The city asked residents and businesses to put off laundry and dishwasher use and keep showers brief to limit the wastewater reaching the river.
Downstream in Shiprock, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority said Sunday that flooding disrupted the community’s wastewater treatment plant and that untreated wastewater was discharged into the river to keep sewage from backing up into homes and businesses. The utility said its water supply runs on a separate system and was not affected.
The Shiprock plant has a design flow of 1 million gallons per day and serves about 5,780 customers, according to a 2017 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency permit notice. Crews put the plant into bypass mode Friday and diverted wastewater to a holding pond, the Navajo Times reported. James Fitzhugh Jr., the plant’s supervisor, told the paper the pond was later “completely compromised.”
The San Juan River at Farmington ran 2 feet above its previous record, set in 1909, the office of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a release Saturday. Lujan Grisham requested a federal emergency declaration that day for San Juan, Rio Arriba, Cibola and Sandoval counties and five tribal nations, seeking funding for debris removal and emergency protective measures, her office said.
Upstream in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the San Juan River peaked at just over 15 feet at around 5:30 a.m. Friday. Floodwaters inundated three wastewater lift stations and one pump station, causing spills. A sewer line attached to the First Street bridge was also damaged and is now running on a temporary bypass, the town said in an update. The town reported the spills to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. It also closed Hot Springs Boulevard at the bridge and South Sixth Street, where riverbank erosion could compromise the roadway.
Gov. Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency Thursday for 11 southwest Colorado counties and added Conejos County on Friday, his office said. As of Friday, the Colorado Department of Transportation had closed sections of U.S. Highway 160, including Wolf Creek Pass between the Treasure Falls chain-up station and South Fork. It had also closed Colorado 151 at Chimney Rock and Colorado 17 over Cumbres and La Manga passes, the office said.
In Hurricane, Utah, Mayor Clark Fawcett issued a proclamation of local emergency Thursday after flooding affected about 80 homes and 50 recreational vehicles at Willow Wind RV Park, the city said in a release. The flooding damaged or affected bridges, culverts, public roadways and electrical power boxes. Crews cleared storm drains and removed mud and debris from roads.


