Farmington, New Mexico: Flooding Forces Evacuations Across San Juan County as Rivers Rise Well Above Flood Stage

Flooding on the San Juan and Animas rivers forced evacuations across San Juan County on Friday, October 23, and closed schools in Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec. Officials said no deaths had been reported by Friday afternoon, and Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe called it a once in a generation event at a Friday press conference.

Updated 14:00 UTC, October 27

At least two people have died in New Mexico. Isabelle Beulaygue, 39, was swept away on Saturday while trying to cross a flooded arroyo in a vehicle in Santa Fe, authorities said. About 50 miles (80 kilometers) south, in Socorro County, Grace Clark, 64, was swept away as floodwaters rose and trapped residents in their homes. Valencia County Fire Chief Matthew Propp said nine other people were rescued as teams worked overnight to find residents. Between 200 and 300 people were rescued in San Juan County over the last few days, county spokesperson Devin Neeley said.

President Donald Trump on Monday approved a federal emergency declaration for New Mexico. Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance will cover 75 percent of eligible emergency costs, with the state matching 25 percent. The declaration covers San Juan, Rio Arriba, Cibola and Sandoval counties and the Acoma Pueblo, the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, Laguna Pueblo, San Ildefonso Pueblo and Zia Pueblo. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed executive orders on Monday making $8.25 million more in state funding available, and she estimated that damage in New Mexico could total $300 million, covering debris removal, road and bridge repair and other recovery costs. San Juan County Manager Mike Stark put debris cleanup alone at $30 million to $40 million, and officials said floodwater in the county carries gasoline, diesel, pesticides, fertilizer and raw sewage, so residents should not start cleanup until testing shows it is safe.

In Bluff, Utah, the town lifted its evacuation order at 5 a.m. on Monday, and the San Juan River crested on Monday lower than expected, with the water mostly stopping short of the highway through town. Floodwaters hit seven more homes and four businesses overnight, bringing the local toll to 17 homes and five businesses since a surge on Friday, Mayor Josh Ewing said. "It is kind of a weird thing when you have lived in red rock country to feel like you live by the sea now. Our flood plain is just filled," Ewing said.

At Montezuma Creek, 14 miles (22 kilometers) downstream from Bluff, the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority reported that its wastewater treatment lagoons were "completely breached," potentially contaminating the San Juan River with bacteria and pathogens. Officials across the region cautioned people to avoid entering floodwaters and to take a shower or bath as soon as possible after any exposure. The town of Bluff told residents to stay out of the San Juan River, saying water levels remain elevated and possible sewage contamination poses a health risk.

In Archuleta County, Colorado, the San Juan River at Pagosa Springs was back below flood stage on Monday for the first time in more than three days. All evacuated areas remained closed, and some residents were still cut off by floodwater and road damage. Responders reached them by helicopter, Archuleta County Sheriff Mike Le Roux said. "We do have a number of people cut off still but we are accessing those with the National Guard and our search and rescue crews," Le Roux said. On the Navajo Nation, Sharen Sandoval, chief of staff in the Office of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President, said on Monday that 200 homes had been evacuated across Shiprock, 500 homes were damaged, more than 150 tribal members were in shelter and more than 1,000 people had been affected by electricity loss, infrastructure damage and other impacts.

More rain is on the way. After a few days of sunny, dry weather, the National Weather Service forecast more rounds of rain on Friday night, October 30, and again on Sunday, November 1, for the Bluff area. Ewing said a second flood is the worry now, because the ground is completely saturated.

Updated 21:24 UTC, October 25

The flood crest reached southeastern Utah on Sunday. The National Weather Service office in Grand Junction kept a flood warning in effect until 6 a.m. Mountain time on Tuesday and called the flooding along the San Juan River between Four Corners and Mexican Hat catastrophic, saying this is an emergency situation. The warning covers western Montezuma County in southwestern Colorado and southern San Juan County in southeastern Utah.

Forecasters said the crest would occur around Aneth, Montezuma Creek and Bluff on Sunday afternoon and evening. At 2:04 p.m. Mountain time on Sunday the river near Bluff was at 20 feet, below its 22 foot bankfull stage and its 23 foot flood stage, and forecasters expected it to rise above flood stage on Sunday afternoon to a crest of 29.5 feet early on Monday morning, then fall below flood stage early on Tuesday. That forecast crest compares with a previous crest of 32 feet on September 10, 1927. No additional rainfall was expected. The weather service office in Salt Lake City said the river would crest at Bluff later on Sunday evening into the night above moderate flood stage, with flooding continuing downstream to Lake Powell through at least Tuesday morning.

Navajo emergency management personnel were working to evacuate residents in Bluff, Montezuma Creek and Aneth, the Navajo Police Department said, according to The Arizona Republic. The U.S. 160 bridge over the San Juan River near the Arizona and Colorado border remained closed, and the Montezuma Creek Bridge was also closed. Police warned evacuated residents not to return home and urged people not to cross the river, saying low water crossings were flooded and could be impassable. Residents who need evacuation help can call Montezuma Creek EMS at 435-651-3754, police said. Shelters were open at Aneth Community School in Montezuma Creek, where responders also set up a command post, and at San Juan High School in Blanding. In Lower Moencopi, a Hopi village near Tuba City in northern Arizona, flooding displaced as many as 10 families.

The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority said on Sunday that flooding had disrupted the Shiprock wastewater treatment plant and that untreated wastewater was being discharged into the San Juan River to keep sewage from backing up into homes and businesses. The utility said the drinking water supply runs on a separate system, was not affected and remained safe to use. It urged Shiprock sewer customers to use less water and told people to stay away from the river and floodwater, which could carry pathogens and other contaminants.

Updated 20:57 UTC, October 24

The flood crest moved downstream to Shiprock on Saturday. The Shiprock bridge over the San Juan River was shut down in the early morning hours of October 24, according to the Navajo Nation Police Department, and rescue operations were carried out overnight to bring people in flooded areas to safety. First responders carried out 20 rescues overnight in the Farmington and Shiprock area, with multiple people involved in several of those operations, and San Juan County emergency management said the department staged 20 rescues while about 1,500 people were without power, according to local utilities.

A two mile stretch of U.S. Highway 64 west of Shiprock into the town was closed because of standing water on the roadway, the New Mexico Department of Transportation said, and standing water and flooding over a bridge over the San Juan River closed a four mile stretch of New Mexico 371 south of Farmington. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said residents had been stranded on rooftops and others needed evacuation assistance in the Shiprock area, KOAT reported, and a shelter threatened by rising water near Shiprock was closed and its occupants were moved to another location. Power outages were reported south of the San Juan River in Shiprock, and the Four Corners Monument remained closed on Saturday after the Animas River crested and flooded the area on Friday.

"We may see some floodwaters receding, but there will be more rain, and the rivers are expected to rise again," San Juan County Emergency Management warned in a Facebook post on Saturday. Farmington police asked residents on Saturday to stay home and off the roads as crews responded to flood damage, saying many roadways had sustained damage and continued traffic could make it worse. No new death toll was reported in the Saturday updates.

Heavy rain fell on mountain snow on Thursday and the runoff pushed both rivers up fast. The San Juan River at Farmington reached 13.2 feet at 10 a.m. Mountain time on Friday, well above its 8.5 foot flood stage, and forecasters expected a crest near 14 feet on Friday afternoon, with the river staying above flood stage into Saturday.

Evacuations and a shelter at McGee Park

About 600 households in Farmington were told to evacuate, city spokesperson Gina Intoppa told The Associated Press. San Juan County listed evacuated areas including Wildhorse Valley, Lee Acres, parts of Bloomfield near South Church and Calle Del Rio, County Road 2620 and other roads along the Animas, and in Farmington the Rancho de Animas area, Pryor Lane and homes along either river. Evacuees were sent to McGee Park, where pets and recreational vehicles are welcome. Farmington, Bloomfield and Aztec schools and San Juan College all closed on Friday. Road closures were, in the words of police quoted by the Tri-City Record, too many to mention.

Rescues by boat, helicopter and amphibious vehicle

The National Weather Service estimated that as many as 1,500 homes and buildings had been affected and that about 60 water rescues had taken place since Thursday afternoon. County spokesperson Devin Neeley said New Mexico Guard crews were using boats, helicopters and amphibious vehicles to reach people in homes holding several feet of water and people on rooftops. "This is a once in a generation time. This is singular and this is real," Hebbe said. "So far, we have not had any deaths, but this is not anything that should be played with."

A wastewater washout puts sewage in the river

The flooding washed out part of the Bloomfield wastewater treatment plant into the San Juan River, sending raw sewage into the floodwater. Neeley called the river a hazmat situation and told residents not to touch the water. Bloomfield asked residents and businesses to use as little water as possible, postponing laundry and dishwashers and keeping showers brief. Bloomfield Mayor John Mohler said it was the highest water he had seen in a long time. Farmington's wastewater plant was being watched and still had a buffer of about 6 feet. Valves to Farmington Lake were closed on Thursday night, and Intoppa said the lake was 89.14 percent full and not in danger of flooding.

What officials expect next

Rain on Friday was expected to be much lighter, but runoff was still converging into the rivers and levels were still rising in places. The county emergency management office warned that more areas could flood and told residents not to wait if they saw rising water. Officials urged everyone to stay home unless travel was necessary and to never drive through flooded roads.