San Juan River Floods: Four Corners Counties Assess Sewage and Structural Damage

The San Juan River reached a peak height of 31 feet on Monday in the Four Corners region.

The National Weather Service recorded the river at 1.5 feet above the established flood stage of 23 feet by Monday morning. Forecasters projected the water level would drop below flood stage by Tuesday morning. This crest marks the highest level recorded in the region since September 10, 1927, when the river reached 32 feet. The surge resulted from two months of intermittent heavy rainfall fueled by Pacific tropical moisture and El Niño conditions.

San Juan County in New Mexico reported that swollen rivers were receding in the Farmington area. However, many residents remained evacuated and hundreds of people lacked power. Devin Neeley, a county spokesperson, told The Associated Press that the county did not have official counts for damaged homes or evacuated residents. He described the situation as a very active disaster zone. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico National Guard Major General Miguel Aguilar visited the county on Monday to survey damage and meet with affected residents.

Officials warned residents that water levels remained elevated and posed health risks. The weather service advised the public to stay out of the river due to potential sewage contamination. San Juan County Fire and Rescue Chief David Vega said at a Sunday news conference that the public was eager to return but hazards persisted. Undersheriff Cory Tanner stated that crews were conducting house-to-house checks for broken gas and propane lines and other dangers. He estimated the process would take several days to complete.

In Bluff, Utah, residents evacuated over the weekend returned early Monday. County officials told returning residents and businesses to exercise caution as several properties remained flooded. In the Shiprock area of the Navajo Nation, Wilfred Franklin Jr., the Shiprock District Manager for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, said flooding damaged wastewater facilities and water holding ponds. This damage released sewage into the San Juan River.

New Mexico's congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump on Sunday to declare a state of emergency. The declaration would release federal assistance funding for recovery efforts. In Colorado, teams created maps of affected counties to identify impacted roads, closures, and evacuation zones. A flooding-related death was reported in Santa Fe on Saturday. The county sheriff's office said a female passenger died after being swept away while a family attempted to cross a flooded arroyo in a vehicle. A father and child reached land, but the woman was found dead a mile away.

Zach and Abigail Flatt received evacuation orders on their phones Thursday evening. Their home in Bloomfield, New Mexico, sits on the San Juan River. Zach Flatt recalled that the water level jumped four feet in 30 to 40 minutes. The family loaded their two children, ages two and four, into a car as water rose over the tires. They stayed in a hotel and watched webcams as at least 18 inches of water inundated their property. The flood washed away 22 of their 24 chickens. Zach Flatt said they watched items float from the porch into the front yard.

Storms in the region also produced a tornado that touched down in Santa Fe on Saturday night. The heavy rain caused rivers to surge, flooded homes, and forced water rescues. Forecasters attributed the unusually heavy rainfall to El Niño, a temporary warming of parts of the Pacific. The flooding follows other deadly events in the region, including recent floods in the Grand Canyon and other parts of New Mexico after a period of drought.