Flooding at Glen Eyrie

 

We are visiting with our children in Colorado Springs this weekend.  Record-setting rainfall in Colorado resulted in localized flash flooding in the overnight hours of September 12-13. 

Camp Creek, the creek that runs through Glen Eyrie overflowed its banks in spots, flooding some areas near the main entrance.

 
Because the flooding jeopardized the normal flow of vehicle traffic, guests and volunteer staff were evacuated by an alternate route.  No guest or employee was ever in any physical danger. The evacuations were completed because normal traffic patterns were blocked. At its peak, water overflowed the bridge just past the main gate.

Flooding conditions surrounding Glen Eyrie were aggravated by soil damage created by wildfires in the area in the summer of 2012. Since those fires, Glen Eyrie engaged in serious flood control measures, including the installation of two debris catching fences, widening and reinforcing of creek banks near the castle.
 See my April 26 (Spring 2) post about these projects.  

An alternate route that enabled the safe evacuation of guests and staff was used. The debris nets located in Queen’s Canyon, kept trees and boulders from moving onto the property while allowing water to continue flowing. Structural damage would have been much greater without these mitigating measures. The debris nets are holding back much of the debris from flowing through Camp Creek.  We hope to return to the Glen on Monday, September 16.