The National Weather Service’s flood advisory for the Mancos River, initially issued Monday, is in effect until further notice because of increasing snowmelt in the San Juan Mountains.
Warm weather in Southwest Colorado will continue to increase runoff, the weather service said, and river flows will remain at or slightly above the top of the river bank through the week.
Minor flooding is possible in lowland sections of the river.
As of Thursday morning at 9 a.m., the river just east of downtown was flowing 4.93 feet deep, down from being bank full at 5.1 feet Tuesday, according to the Colorado Division of Water Resources.
Flood stage is 6 feet.
According to Mancos Marshal Justen Goodall, the town has not yet seen any issues from the high water flow.
“We are currently watching the river and have a plan in action if the river breaches the banks within the town of Mancos,” Goodall said.
In particular, they are watching the river by the Riverwood RV Resort and by Cottonwood Park, two spots that could be affected by higher water levels.
The risk posed at the Cottonwood location comes from debris like broken tree limbs that have started to collect in the river, and could possibly clog the water flow, Goodall said.
Overall, however, the banks were built high enough that it would take a lot of water to breach them, he added.
Rivers throughout Southwest Colorado were running high this week.
In Dolores on Wednesday, the Dolores River was running at 2,650 cubic feet per second – about 157% of normal – and about 5.5 feet high. Flood stage is considered about 8 feet.
The La Plata River above Hesperus was running at 4.6 feet, down from 5 feet Tuesday.
A flood stage for the waterway is considered 5.5 feet.