Colorado's weekend rain compromises retaining wall, floods neighboring Littleton homes
Multiple videos posted online showed floodwaters as they pushed through a retaining wall and into residents' backyards in the neighboring Dutch Creek Farms community in Jefferson County. Severe storms brought heavy rain to the Denver metro area over the weekend, causing flooding in several communities.
"Everything behind me was covered in water and mud," said Brian Jessee. "At least six inches of mud and debris came down the hill from where the retaining wall failed. The water was flowing over that, but we've got it pretty much everywhere in the yard and landscaping, and everything is pretty much ruined and under debris."
Jessee tells CBS Colorado that his backyard may have been the only thing that was destroyed, but some of his neighbors' basements also flooded from the runoff.
"You do kind of feel helpless because there's nothing [we] can do to stop it," said Jessee.
"It wasn't just cascading over the wall, but it was going through the wall," said Paul Clark.
Back in 2023, CBS Colorado spoke with Clark, one of many residents who objected to the construction of the 30-foot wall. It's a decision that was made with the support of Jefferson County commissioners to facilitate the construction of 102 single-family home lots atop a slope on the former land of Columbine Hills Church.
"The wall failed in sections, so there are definitely questions and concerns on the integrity and what it's going to be like long term," said Clark.
With more rain in the future and more time needed to complete the wall, residents are concerned about how much more flooding they can handle.
"The worst nightmare is yet to come," said Clark.
CBS Colorado reached out to the developer of the project and Jefferson County officials.
A spokesperson for the county said their priority is to immediately ensure that any erosion in that area is controlled.
"Jefferson County staff will work with the developer to ensure future storm flows are conveyed to the stormwater pond, evaluate the stability of the existing retaining walls, and review offsite impacts to community members."
"We've been watching the wall go up for about the last six to nine months. It's not complete yet; the failure occurred when it was only partially built," said Jessee.
