10/12/2025
Tropical Storm Priscilla caused heavy rain in La Plata County starting on Friday, October 10 through today, Saturday, October 11 with additional precipitation forecasted to continue into next week. Vallecito Creek and Grimes Creek north of Vallecito Lake have had unprecedented flooding with a high of 7,200 cubic feet per second (cfs) captured for Vallecito Creek, which is over double what a significant spring runoff event will produce.
La Plata County Emergency Management has sent out another evacuation notice; this evacuation is for residents who live on Middle Mountain Road due to the East Vallecito Creek bridge on County Road 501 (between Mushroom Ln. and Tucker Ln.) being closed to all traffic, except evacuation traffic, as well as the closure of the 5 Branches Bridge that goes over the Pine River, due to road damage.
Over 390 homes have been evacuated with assistance of the La Plata County Sheriff's Office and a map of the evacuation area is available on https://readylaplata.org. Emergency responders are estimating that there are over 100 homes that have water damage, some with as much as two feet of water inside.
Road and Bridge employees have been working to protect the East Vallecito Creek bridge with a trackhoe to remove the debris accumulation on the upstream side of the bridge. Emergency responders are protecting the Grimes Creek Bridge on County Road 501 with sandbags. We would like to thank the many volunteers who have worked all day in Bayfield to fill thousands of sandbags for delivery to those in need. Sandbags are being staged at the Community Center at Vallecito.
Upper Pine River Fire Protection and La Plata County Sheriff's Office have completed 11 high-water rescues. Most of those rescues were from the levy break on the east side of Vallecito Creek which cause a flood on Tucker Lane. The last high-water rescue was for someone who refused to evacuate when asked, and then needed assistance to evacuate after floodwater covered their driveway.
The roads into the flood area will be closed overnight at the intersection of County Road 500 and 501 except to those who are evacuating. County Road 501A is also closed.
Evacuees will not be allowed back into the flood area until the area is deemed safe by emergency responders. In order to return, they must have “rapid tag” credentials to return. Rapid tags can be obtained at the Bayfield High School evacuation center until 8PM tonight (Saturday, October 11). On Sunday, October 12, rapid tags can be obtained at 110 E South Street, Bayfield from 12:30PM to 4:00PM.
Emergency responders will using helicopters to fly over the area during the response so no drones are allowed to fly from Vallecito Lake dam to the north. If you fly, we can’t!
Motorists are urged to drive slowly and carefully as they may encounter debris and mud on the roads throughout the county. Mud is much more dense than water, and even small amounts can cause any vehicle to slide or get stuck. Motorists should not drive into areas where the water covers the roadway. The water depth may be too great to allow a safe crossing.
For additional information including a map of the evacuation area and information for evacuees, please visit https://readylaplata.org. The emergency call center number is 970-385-8700.
