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dave729
Trad climber
Western America
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Sep 15, 2013 - 11:51pm PT
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I'd recommend moving all those mountain canyon towns up the hill sides about 50 feet. No rebuilding in the flood prone areas now that the reality of what the streams can do is known.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 02:35am PT
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Crap! My basement is filling up with water again because of the heavy rains today. Not much I can do but wait until the rain stops. Updated score: Mother Nature - 2, Bruce - 0.
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Sep 16, 2013 - 02:47am PT
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^^^^Bummer Dude! I feel for ya, I've been there too. Get a pump fast!
Base said,
The principal of catastrophic events comes into play. You can have a hundred years of stream flow that barely changes the stream bed. Then you have one of these 100 year events come through and 99% of the stream morphology is shaped by that one short event.
With this in mind, couldn't the Grand Canyon be formed in 30-40 days? Instead of 30-40 million years.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:30am PT
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I have a pump, but it needs about 2-3" of water to work properly. I am getting about 2-300 gallons of water per hour coming and it is coming in from all four sides so I can either wait until it is high enough to do more damage and let the pump take over or try and keep the water to some sort of manageable level. I am losing that battle. I guess three straight nights of three hours sleep is finally taking it's toll.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:40am PT
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I should add what makes this very frustrating is that the rains which caused the majority of the damage ended on Friday. I had my basement pumped out and carpets removed by Friday evening and things were starting to dry out nicely on Saturday and Sunday morning.
However, this second set of strong rains which arrived mid-day on Sunday has started the whole process over again. To add to that, the weather forecasters keep extending the day on which the rain will actually stop. It was supposed to be Sunday, but now storms are forecast for Monday as well. The ground is just so saturated we need time for everything to dry out.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Sep 16, 2013 - 06:05am PT
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That's frustrating, Bruce.
I think those sump pumps are normally installed in a bucket sized cup which is below the floor level, so the water drains from the floor into the cup and the pump has its intake there.
You could try to create such a cup by drilling through your concrete, but you might just get water gushing straight up out of it and make things worse.
Can you fit an adapter on the pump intake to reduce it to a garden hose type diameter? Then you could pump shallower water. Euroford discussed this, although he was switching from the garden hose to 1.5" hose. Maybe you can trade or get some suggestions?
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=2224341&msg=2225270#msg2225270
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 10:43am PT
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A sump pump only really works if your basement is angled such that all the water flows into one area. And, of course that is no help at all if you have carpet which absorbs the water before it gets to that designed low point. That was round one. Now all the carpet is gone so it is bare concrete, but there is still no low point for the water to congregate.
BTW, this is not really a flood in my case. The problem is that the ground is so saturated after a week of rain that the water from the new rain storm which started yesterday has no where to go. The silver lining here for me is that the water coming into my basement is pretty clean with no mud or debris.
Rainfall total for Boulder for the past week is 16". Normal yearly rainfall for Boulder is 20".
My sump pump, is about as good as it gets with respect how close it can get to the ground to suck up the water. I'll make it. It is just really frustrating to go through this twice in such a short period of time.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA/Boulder, CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 01:57pm PT
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Riley,
in Colorado you have a heavy clay soil which expands and contracts. If they poured the foundation and the floor as one piece(think bathtub) the foundation would be damaged as the floor rises and contracts with the soil.
So, they pour the slab and then pour the foundation as two separate entities with felt"chinking" between(where the water gets in).
You have to do something similar when you finish the basement. The walls have to 'float' an inch or two to deal with the rising and falling of the ground beneath the floor.
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goatboy smellz
climber
Nederland-GulfBreeze
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Sep 16, 2013 - 02:19pm PT
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CDOT just announced Boulder Canyon will be shut down for a month for repairs.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 16, 2013 - 02:24pm PT
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hey there say, ...first:
base104, chiloe, and fletcher...
thank you for the share on the boulders, which,
yes, has been history in action, that you got to
see in those videos...
next, bhilden, hope things get well, as to the basement and pump
etc...
crimpergirl and all, prayers still for friends, family, loved
ones and all the WHOLE CITY, and our climbers to
keep staying safe through all this, and to have safe shelter...
i wonder,?? don't more FALL rains, COME, before the snow... and then,
the snow--what kind of mess will this then, grow to...
sure am praying ahead of time, that folks can get through this,
safely, foodwise and some find of finance-wise...
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command error
Trad climber
Colorado
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:59pm PT
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http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/
All of a sudden our neighbors are asking about preparedness. You've got to
ask yourself "What if?". Floods, earthquakes, fires, or simply can't find the walk off and the rope does not reach the ground.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Sep 16, 2013 - 04:26pm PT
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Sep 16, 2013 - 03:05am PT
That's frustrating, Bruce.
I think those sump pumps are normally installed in a bucket sized cup which is below the floor level, so the water drains from the floor into the cup and the pump has its intake there.
Yep.
The first three feet of standing water were easy to remove; the last couple inches, not so much.
Not fun making the hole (laying down in the standing water, scooping out mud and stones) and bucketing the mud upstairs, but once it's done the sump pump keeps cranking; easily keeping on top of the continuing seepage.
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errett
Social climber
Grumpy Ridge
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Sep 16, 2013 - 05:13pm PT
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They let us back down to our house. The National Guard are now the gatekeepers for the Big Thompson Canyon and only residents with ID can get through. I'm posting this from our house since we now have power, phone and internet! Whew!
I drove about 4 miles down canyon - some big holes in the road where the entire lane next to the river is gone but its still passible in the other lane and they are letting folks through. We drove down there to help a couple from Tennessee who were stranded and have to abandon their car here for now. We helped them get their possessions before heading back to Tennessee in a rental car.
Its going to be a long haul before they get this highway fixed.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Sep 16, 2013 - 05:36pm PT
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On a lighter note.
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FGD135
Social climber
Boulder Canyon Colorado
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Sep 16, 2013 - 06:04pm PT
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I live about 4 miles west of Boulder in Boulder Canyon. I left there on Wednesday night.
On Saturday, after 3 days of not being able to get any info on whether the house was even still standing, I drove a very long detour on mountain roads (Clear Creek Canyon-Blackhawk-Nederland-Sugarloaf Rd) as all direct routes were closed. After an 80 mile drive, I arrived 700 vertical' directly above the house, and did a 1 1/2 mile hike down to Hy 119 and walked down a 1/4 mile to my house... I was relieved to see it was untouched by flood waters. It was built 20' above the flood plain in 1927. My biggest concern, the vehicle bridge to my house over Boulder Creek, is intact, and also survived without apparent damage. Except for minor rainwater accumulation on my ground floor after the sump pump shut down when the power failed, everything is ok. It's minor damage, however, maybe just some cleaning and carpet replacement.
After a quick check of contents and condition, I hiked back up to the vehicle, and then managed to drive down via the east end of SL Road. I did not at first realize it was open into the canyon, and back to the house to retrieve some contents. West of the SL/ Magnolia Jct the road is blocked by landslides and rockfall.
Unfortunately Hy 119 to Boulder below my house is wrecked, really really wrecked and was barely drivable, although I was able to carefully exit. This is below the junction of Fourmile, which is also wrecked. Hy 119 is washed out, dramatically undercut by the flood, and only one lane exists at this point and out. Most of the guardrails are in the creek twisted like iron pretzels, lying below the Elephant Buttresses and the Dome. The PD roadblock at the bottom advised no uphill traffic is allowed, which is not a surprise. During the deluges, huge waterfalls came down the north slopes of Flagstaff and dropped additional water and large boulders on to the road, doing additional damage.
It is unlikely that the canyon will open soon. Dang!
Winter is also approaching, in 6-8 weeks we could be under snow. This is a real mess.
Say Goatboy, where did you read/hear that CDot Statement about reopening the canyon? I've not been able to find it. I'd bet one month to open it is a very optimistic goal.
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philo
Trad climber
Is that light the end of the tunnel or a train?
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Sep 16, 2013 - 06:59pm PT
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1500 homes destroyed and counting.
1275 people unaccounted for and still searching.
Roads, rails and Interstates torn up for months.
And Winter on the way.
Here's hoping for a long Indian summer.
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Jan
Mountain climber
Okinawa, Japan
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Sep 16, 2013 - 08:17pm PT
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Well at least we got through a whole day without rain, first time in a week, so that's something.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 16, 2013 - 08:17pm PT
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hey there say, riley...
as to this, i have not been able to start keeping up with the hurricanes:
Rio grande valley getting hit by the precipitation from two hurricanes right now .
MY KIDS AND 8 grandkids, as you know, are all down there...
we had to really take care, during hurricane season... you never knew,
but you did KNOW 'what', if it did, :O
thanks for sharing...
to the recent poster,FDG135:
*wow, as to the 'getting to the house' adventure...
glad it was okay...
*happy to see you post, jan...
hoping for no more rain...
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Edge
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 16, 2013 - 08:23pm PT
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Water continues to pour into our mechanical room, about 20 gallons in 10 minutes, but oddly enough if I leave it the pressure reaches some kind of equilibrium and no more enters. So, I am leaving it.
My wife was getting ready to head down Lee Hill tomorrow to stay with our daughter in Denver, while I remained behind to watch the house and dogs. Three separate groups of firefighters, one group from Utah, had stopped at our door to suggest we leave. When I stated my intention to stay, they tied a green ribbon on our door. Then they gave me a red ribbon to replace it should I also leave. It might make it easy for them, but a red ribbon would seem to suggest, "Looters welcome!"
At 5:45 we were outside with the dogs when an ATV drove by with a couple more firefighters. The one on the back was pointing up, then down. I repeated the gesture, and they nodded yes. No words were needed, we knew that to mean that the road was now open both ways. Karol just drove down to get to a market. We were told that reentry requires ID and proof of residency. I'm really hoping she remembers ice cream...
This little guy was waterlogged and stunned in my garage this morning. I gave him a little TLC for about a half hour, then watched him regroup and fly away. It was a bright spot in my day after the long stint of isolation.
I'm planning on getting into town tomorrow to witness the aftermath firsthand, and maybe get a haircut. Stay strong, Colorado.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Sep 16, 2013 - 09:12pm PT
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Water continues to pour into our mechanical room, about 20 gallons in 10 minutes, but oddly enough if I leave it the pressure reaches some kind of equilibrium and no more enters
the water table has now risen to the level of yr mechanical room.
sounds like not much you can do unless yr gonna pump the rockies.
glad it wasnt worse. good luck dude
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