What happened in 2013, and why does it still matter?
The Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires left burned ground that sheds water quickly. Runoff from the Waldo Canyon burn area overflowed Fountain Creek and ran through Manitou Springs in August 2013, and the Fountain Creek watershed district reports flood damage to property and infrastructure from that year.
The 2013 runoff is the reason that heavy rain on a burn scar is treated as a water-damage risk in the city and in the towns downstream. Fountain Creek runs south through the county, past Manitou Springs and Fountain, so a burn-scar flood in the upper watershed can reach towns many miles from the fire itself. The scar is a long-term feature of the land, and it does not return to its earlier condition in a year.
A homeowner does not need to live in the flood path to be affected. Water can reach a lower street or a cul-de-sac through the storm drains, and the same silt that closes a creek channel can come up through a floor drain in a house on higher ground.
Is runoff covered by a homeowner policy?
Runoff is generally a flood or surface-water loss, and standard homeowner policies typically exclude flood. Coverage for water that backs up or enters from outside depends on endorsements, and the policy wording decides.
A standard homeowner policy typically excludes flood and water that enters from the ground or from surface runoff, unless a separate flood policy or an endorsement is in place. Sewer or drain backup is generally a separate question, and it is treated differently from runoff entering a window well. The Colorado Division of Insurance is the state regulator and takes complaints about claims. This page does not describe how any policy will respond.
Photograph the water line, the silt and the debris before cleanup, and keep a sample of the silt in a sealed bag if the insurer asks for one. Note the time and the weather, because the claim depends on what happened, and the record is the strongest part of the file.
Can the building be cleaned well enough to save its contents?
Some contents can be saved, but silt and runoff water make the decision harder than with clean water. Hard, non-porous items can usually be washed, and porous items that have soaked up silt are generally removed.
Furniture with a sealed finish can often be cleaned, while upholstery, cardboard, paper and carpet pad that have absorbed runoff are removed. The cleanup records which items were removed and which were cleaned, so the decision can be checked later.
Any item that was in contact with the water and is still in the house should be washed with a detergent and then disinfected before it is handled bare-handed. Rubber gloves and a mask are the basic protection for that work.
What should a homeowner do in the week after runoff?
Keep the house ventilated, watch for mold on the lower walls, and check the lowest parts of the building after each heavy rain. Silt that is left to dry is harder to remove than silt that is cleaned while wet.
Clear the window well and the drain, and make sure the grading around the foundation slopes away from the house. Silt left in a well or against a wall holds moisture and invites growth, so it is removed as soon as it is safe to do so.
Watch the lowest walls and the seams of the flooring for two to three weeks. A new stain, a musty smell or a soft patch at the bottom of the wall means the drying is not complete, and the crew should check the readings again.
