Floodwaters Swamp Animas Valley as Durango Shuts River

Floodwaters spread across the Animas River valley around Durango on Friday, October 23, prompting police to close the swollen river to all boating and floating within the city.

Footage released by the Durango Police Department shows a wide view of the valley under heavy grey clouds, with the brown, overflowing river snaking past fields and homes and water pooling across low-lying land.

The department banned rafting, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding and tubing on the river from Oxbow Park to Dallabetta Park from 10 a.m., citing powerful currents, rapidly changing water levels and floating debris. “No recreational activity is worth risking your life or the lives of the first responders who may be called to rescue you,” police said.

The river peaked at about 11,200 cubic feet per second that afternoon, its highest level since 1970, as days of heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Trudy drenched southwest Colorado. Governor Jared Polis declared a disaster emergency for the flooding.