Raging waters threaten bridges

A turbulent Gallinas River slams into the historic Bridge Street Bridge near Las Vegas’s downtown Plaza on Friday afternoon. The bridge remained open, despite the high waters. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)

LAS VEGAS, N.M. Parts of this northern New Mexico town looked more like bayou country Friday as floodwaters from a raging Gallinas River spread from its banks to surround, and sometimes flood, homes. Authorities said as many as 50 houses were evacuated in Las Vegas and numerous roads were closed in surrounding San Miguel County. There were also probably some flooded homesites along the Gallinas east of town, they said. County Commission chairman Nicholas Leger said low-water crossings and bridges out in the county had been damaged in what was believed to be a bit larger than a 100-year flood for the Gallinas. But no injuries or deaths had been reported. “There’s going to be a tremendous amount of damage,” Leger said. The problems caused by heavy rain – 5 to 7 inches had fallen around the county, according to Leger – were exacerbated by an overnight rupture in an earthen diversion canal that is supposed to send some of the river water to Storrie Lake, the privately owned reservoir just outside Las Vegas. The 20-foot rupture east of town meant all of the water in the Gallinas’ mountain watershed was rushing down the river – at flows estimated at as much as 20,000 cubic feet per second – and through Las Vegas without the pressure release provided by the Storrie Lake diversion. Las Vegas Mayor Alfonso Ortiz said it could take three or four days or longer to repair the broken canal. “We’re very, very concerned about that,” said Ortiz...more