Flooding in Boulder

Death toll is up to nine, and now more problems: The state is tracking 10 oil and gas spills.

http://www.denverpost.com/environment/ci_24132296/oil-spill-along-st-vrain-river-near-platteville

And some unreal before and after shots can be viewed here.

http://www.denverpost.com/2013coloradofloods/ci_24115527/before-after-photos-colorado-flood-2013

This morning, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, the main/only route for emergency supplies and evacuations into Estes Park had to be closed because of snow. Snow also fell on Loveland Pass and Breckenridge. Trail Ridge is back open but once the first big snow comes, that will be it until Memorial Day.

There is access to Estes via Colorado 7, but it's dicey. And while summer is high tourist season for Estes, so is fall, with the elk bugling in the park and many festivals in the town.

Road repair will be in the hundreds of million of dollars. At least 50 bridges are damaged or destroyed. And 200 miles of roads have been affected.

This will take years -- plural -- to repair.

 

The Daily Camera has done some incredible work the past week-plus, and Charlie Brennan and John Aguilar have a fantastic synopsis of things here. This is the definitive here's exactly what happened, how it happened history piece. Extremely well done.

http://bit.ly/1aei2CA

 

Today's front page of the Daily Camera. I've read the story twice and it's just spectacular in its breadth, detail and scope -- and quick turnaround. When they do the milestone retrospectives -- one year, five years, 10 years, 25 years, 50 years, 100 years -- they just need to republish this piece. It's the defining history book summation.

 

We're about 10 weeks out since the flooding. And today, Highway 34, linking Loveland to Estes Park reopened.

No, really.

All but one major highway remains closed, and that one -- Colorado 7 -- will reopen Tuesday. The goal for all of them to reopen was Dec. 1.

485 miles and 27 highways were affected.

This is just an unbelieveable job by CDOT to meet the deadline early, and good news for tourist-dependent Estes Park to have the thoroughfares open for winter.

http://bit.ly/1h5NgBX