Even though the Gold Mountain Fire is still burning, Ouray County officials are already thinking about flash flood risks in the burn scar as Colorado moves into monsoon season.

“This is a predictable pattern,” Commissioner Jake Niece said during the board’s special work session on Tuesday. “After wildfires, we get floods. The immediate concerns are flash floods and debris flows, and the immediate and long-term recovery will last years.”

Ouray County Deputy Attorney Bob Perry, who has been attending meetings with state and federal officials covering the topic, gave commissioners an overview of the work that started soon after the fire started, so the county and its residents are prepared if flash floods occur.

County officials are relying on the National Weather Service to ensure officials and the public get notices of thunderstorms and potential flooding. The current fear is that if too much rain falls too quickly, it could trigger those floods in areas where there is no longer vegetation to stabilize the soil. According to the weather service, as little as half an inch of rainfall in less than an hour can trigger flooding.

“It’s a bitter and a sweet idea that we will have rain,” Perry said. “A wetting rain would be great for the fire but could create a set of headaches for flood risk. It’s not an if, it’s a when.”

He said the county will not be looking at one flash flood, but potentially many occurrences this summer and beyond with mud flows and debris coming down steep mountainsides.

“This will be a risk going forward,” Perry said. “I don’t want to be an alarmist, but I want to be a realist about what is going on.”

Ouray County has seen numerous flash floods over the years, mostly related to monsoonal rains. In August 2024, for example, Gov. Jared Polis declared a countywide emergency disaster because of flooding, with repair costs estimated at $3 million. That flood destroyed the town of Ridgway’s water diversion system, which is still being rebuilt.

Short-term and long-term plans

Perry said the county will need to put into place both short-term and long-term plans to mitigate flash-flooding effects. Now, the county needs to prepare for safety during flash floods. Looking ahead, the county needs to find ways to revegetate the burn scar to stabilize the soil to help prevent flash floods.

Both require money, and Perry said the county may be able to tap into state and federal funding. He said he is working with other agencies to look at available money.

Planning for flooding

“It’s important to talk about flash-flooding risk and exactly what we are up against, understanding there are some risks that frankly we won’t be able to prepare for,” Perry said. He said county officials can plan for some circumstances.

Perry said many people living in the wildfire evacuation area will now be in flash-flood zones and may need to evacuate again.

“People will go back home, and we will need plans on how to warn them and get them out. We won’t have a lot of time,” he said.

If residents receive a National Weather Service warning about a potential flash flood, they should not wait to leave, Perry said. Rather, they are advised to go immediately to higher ground.

Potential road closures

Officials are especially concerned about the Dexter and Cutler creek drainages, particularly because flood- ing there could present danger to U.S. Highway 550 and County Road 17.

Perry said if possible, the weather service will send special flood messages as early as two hours before an event, which will give first responders the opportunity to place barriers as necessary to close the roads. He expects some barriers to be located along the road to facilitate closures. Other times, there may be only minutes before a storm approaches.

Other areas in the county could be vulnerable to mudslides, too, he said.

Perry said county officials are meeting with contractors working to replace the Corbett Creek bridge to help keep County Road 17 open, especially if Highway 550 must be closed in case of flooding.

County commissioners awarded a more than $1 million construction contract to replace the bridge over Corbett Creek into Whispering Pines to prevent washouts on County Road 17 caused by flooding. The county is receiving $1.03 million in federal funding for the project, which is expected to cost $1.18 million total to construct.

Commissioner Lynn Padgett said it is important to keep a north-south road open out of Ouray even during floods, rather than forcing residents and tourists to drive four hours over Lizard Head Pass.

Commissioners asked Perry to explain to state and federal officials, some of whom are based on the Front Range, that County Road 17 is not built to handle heavy traffic. It’s a narrow dirt road. “People with city perspectives see ‘county road’ and think it’s 30 feet wide,” Niece told Perry. “Paint a picture where there’s a section that is one lane. When you have a chance, hammer that home.”

Perry suggested the commissioners at a future meeting should talk with members of the business community and residents to hear their concerns about flash-flooding risks and available resources.

Padgett also suggested hearing from Larimer County officials about how they dealt with the aftermath of wildfires to gain another perspective. When the Cameron Peak Fire burned more than 200,000 acres in 2020 in the northern Colorado foothills, it became the largest wildfire in state history and resulted in mudslides and extensive impacts.

“I think we are all trying to figure out what our resources are at this point,” Commissioner Michelle Nauer said. “This is going to be a long road.”

Deb Hurley Brobst is a longtime, award-winning journalist. Email her at deb.hurley.brobst@gmail.com.