Flood Threat Rises With Heavy Rain And Snowmelt
LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4)- Heavy rain combined with the spring snowmelt is a concern in those areas that flooded last fall and caused a lot of damage.
One area being watched closely is the Big Thompson Canyon between Loveland and Estes Park.
The water in the Big Thompson River is already rushing so fast that some work must be put off.
One home that was first on Larimer County's list to be demolished needed to be taken down before conditions made doing the work impossible.
Now it's too late and crews won't be able to demolish the home until conditions improve.
Crews attempted to reach the home on Tuesday but they have to get into the river to complete the tear down.
Because of releases from the Olympus Dam water is moving too fast for crews to feel safe.
The contractor cited safety concerns and also pointed out paperwork that kept them from starting the demolition any sooner.
Removal of the home will be postponed indefinitely.
"I'm concerned whether the rising water will cause it to further collapse and cause problems but we can't safely get the crew over there so we'll just have to wait and hope that it stays intact until the water goes down," said Larimer County spokesman Eric Fried.
Larimer County will instead focus on demolishing five other homes on their list. Those should have fewer obstacles since none of those homes are on the river.