Burn-Scar Runoff in Colorado Springs: The 2013 Record and What It Means Now

What happened in the foothills in 2013?

Two fires burned in 2013 that changed the water picture of the county. The Waldo Canyon fire was the one whose runoff reached Fountain Creek, and the Black Forest fire burned to the north-east of the city.

The Waldo Canyon burn area lies in the foothills west of the city. Heavy rain on that ground, with the trees and the cover burned away, runs off quickly and carries whatever is loose on the slope. The runoff gathers in the drainages and moves down toward the creek system, and the creek is the route to the lower towns.

The Black Forest fire burned in the rural area north-east of the city in June 2013. It burned about 14,280 acres and destroyed 488 homes, according to an insurance trade report that reviewed the year. The burned ground there also sheds water in heavy rain, and the runoff can reach lower land.

What did the runoff do to Fountain Creek and Manitou Springs?

On August 9, 2013, runoff from the Waldo Canyon burn area overflowed Fountain Creek and ran down State Highway 24 through Manitou Springs, according to the US Geological Survey. The creek then carried the water south.

The overflow was a flood in the town, not only in the creek. Water that came down the drainages and into the creek ran over the highway and through the town, and it left silt and debris where it went. The USGS reported the event, and it is the reference point for the local record.

Fountain Creek runs south through the county, past Manitou Springs and Fountain. The Fountain Creek watershed district reports flood damage to property and infrastructure from 2013. The record shows how a burn scar in the hills can reach towns far downstream.

What does burn-scar runoff do to a building?

It brings water, silt, ash and debris into the lower parts of a building, and the material it leaves must be cleaned rather than simply dried.

Runoff enters through the lowest openings: a window well, a door sill, a garage threshold, a floor drain or a crawl space vent. Once inside, it spreads across the floor and up the walls, and the silt it carries settles into the carpet, the seams and the corners.

Silt is treated as part of the contamination. The cleanup removes it while it is wet where possible, and porous material that holds it is taken out. Drying the silt in place leaves a crust that holds moisture and scratches the surfaces it sits on.

• Remove the standing water and the silt while it is wet
• Remove porous material that the water and silt reached
• Clean and disinfect the hard surfaces before drying
• Dry the structure to a measured standard and log the readings
• Record the silt line and the path the water took

Is runoff covered by a homeowner policy?

Standard homeowner policies generally exclude flood and surface water, and the terms for runoff entering from outside are set by the policy and any endorsement. The insurer decides each claim.

Runoff is most often a flood or surface-water question under a standard policy, and the exclusion is one of the most commonly misunderstood parts of a homeowner's coverage. A separate flood policy or an endorsement is the usual way to cover it. Sewer or drain backup is a different question with its own terms.

The Colorado Division of Insurance regulates insurers in Colorado and takes complaints about how claims are handled. This page does not describe how any policy will respond to runoff. The record of the water line, the silt and the path the water took is the core of any claim.

Why does the burn-scar record still matter years later?

Because burned ground takes years to recover its cover, and heavy rain on it still produces runoff. The record is a reason to watch the low parts of a lot after each heavy storm.

The scar does not return to its earlier condition in a year. Loose soil and bare ground shed water quickly, and the effect is strongest in the first heavy storms after a fire. Each storm can carry sediment into the creek and onto the lower lots, and the record of the 2013 flood is a reminder of how much water a scar can produce.

A homeowner in the creek corridor or on the foothill side of the city should treat heavy rain as a reason to check the lowest corner of the lot, the window wells and the garage threshold. A stain or a silt line that appears after a storm is worth a call.

What should a homeowner do after runoff reaches the house?

Stop the water, keep out of silty water, photograph the silt line and call for the cleanup. The first hours decide how much of the material can be kept.

Keep children and pets out of the water and the silt. Do not sweep silt dry, and do not run a household vacuum through it. Turn off power to any wet outlet at the panel if the panel is dry and safe to reach.

Photograph the silt line on the wall, the silt on the floor and the lowest point of the lot before cleaning. Keep a sample of the silt in a sealed bag if the insurer asks for one. Call the line, which is answered 24 hours a day, and the company that does the work will record the water path.

How does a cleanup change when the water came from a burn scar?

The silt and the debris change the order and the equipment, and they make the removal of porous material more likely.

A clean-water loss can be pumped and dried with little removal beyond the carpet pad and the lowest drywall. A runoff loss adds steps: the silt must be removed while wet, the debris must be cleared from the drains and the lower walls must be washed before any drying equipment is set. The sequence is slower, and the record needs to show each step.

The silt also changes the readings. Silt holds moisture and can read damp for longer than the same material would after clean water, so the dry standard is checked more often and each reading is taken from the same points.

What does the 2013 record teach a buyer or a new owner?

Heavy rain on the scarred ground can still produce runoff, so a lot in the affected corridor should be checked before a purchase and after each large storm.

A buyer considering a home in the creek corridor or on the foothill edge can ask the seller about any water history, and can ask the inspector to look at the lowest parts of the lot, the window wells, the drains and the foundation at the grade. A documented history of a past loss is useful, and a seller who has none should be asked why.

The 2013 record is a reason to plan rather than to fear. A lot with good grading, clear drains and a documented plan of its water paths is easier to live on after a storm, and it is easier to insure when the record is in order.

How do the USGS and local records help a homeowner after a burn-scar storm?

Public reports describe where the water went and how high it rose, which helps a homeowner read the water line in their own property.

The USGS reported the Waldo Canyon runoff of August 9, 2013, and the watershed district reported flood damage to property and infrastructure from that year. Those reports describe the creek and the towns along it, and they help a homeowner understand the scale of what came down. They do not say which house was reached, and a homeowner should not rely on them for the property's own record.

The water line on a homeowner's own wall is the best local evidence. Photographed and dated, it can be read against the public reports and the cleanup's readings to show how the property was affected.

What should a homeowner in the foothill corridor do before the next season?

Clear the drainage, check the lowest parts of the lot and keep a dated plan of the water paths, so that the next storm is read against a known baseline.

Before each storm season, walk the lot from the high point to the house and note where the water would run. Clear the drainage features along that path, including culverts, swales and window wells. Keep the plan with the property papers, and update it after any large storm.

A foothill homeowner can also ask a local grading contractor to review the lot. A contractor can suggest where a swale or a berm would turn the flow away from the house, and the work can be done before the rains arrive.