While this year’s snowpack has been cause for celebration throughout the region, a large spring runoff could bring flooding, reports the Montrose Daily Press. Bob Hurford, Division 4 water engineer with the Department of Water Resources spoke at a State of the River meeting earlier this week in Montrose. Hurford brought attention to the Uncompahgre River, the Gunnison River and its North Fork contributory noting the potential for spring flooding.
From snow and floods, we move to wildland fire. Multiple emergency response agencies will conduct a large wildland fire response in the North Fork Valley on Saturday, April 1. Agencies include the Hotchkiss Fire District, Delta County Emergency Management, the Southwest Incident Management Team along with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control and the Colorado Department of Transportation. Operations will be around Redlands Mesa and 3100 Road.
State funding continues to flow into Ouray County for affordable housing projects, including more than $8 million in grants and loans recently awarded for the proposed Ouray Waterview Homes development, reports the Ouray Plaindealer. Rural Homes, a nonprofit, plans to build nearly 70 homes a nine-acre between the Uncompahgre River and Highway 550. The first phase includes a mix of duplex and single-family units.
