What happened on the creek in August 2013?
Runoff from the Waldo Canyon burn area overflowed Fountain Creek on August 9, 2013. The water ran down State Highway 24 and through Manitou Springs, according to the US Geological Survey. The event is the clearest local example of how a burn scar turns a heavy storm into a flood at the foot of the hills.
The Fountain Creek watershed district reports flood damage to property and infrastructure from that year. The record matters to a Manitou homeowner because the creek is close, and the water can rise faster than the street drains can carry it.
What does a creek-side loss look like in Manitou?
A creek-side loss often arrives as silt and debris at the lowest point of a lot, in a window well, against a foundation or at a basement door. The silt line on the wall shows the height of the water, and the debris shows the direction it came from.
The water is treated as contaminated, and the removal of porous material follows. The silt is removed while it is wet where possible, and the readings are taken before any room is closed.
What should a Manitou owner do before the rain season?
Clear the window wells and the drains, and keep the gutters running into the downspouts. Check the lowest room of the house for a drain or a sump that will carry water away when the creek rises.
Find the main shut-off and keep a flashlight near it. Power may be cut during a storm, and a known shut-off saves time.
What does the creek-side homeowner in Manitou need to know about the water line?
A water line on a creek-side wall is the best record of how high the water rose. It shows the height of the flood or runoff on that property, and the cleanup photographs it before any material is removed, so the line can be matched to the storm in the record.
The line also shows whether a property was reached by the creek directly or by runoff from the street. Both are real losses, but they are described differently in a claim, and the difference is recorded at the start.
