S T E A M B O AT
TODAY
TUESDAY
MAY 5, 2009
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
®
Vol. 21, No. 107
RO U T T
S T E A M B O AT S P R I N G S
FREE
C O U N T Y ’ S
DA I LY
N E W S PA P E R
Flood risk still minimal Howelsen Hill slope failure may challenge already strapped budget
DA’s office offers help
Brandon Gee
PILOT & TODAY STAFF
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
County can’t cut staff, so Oldham presents budget solution of her own Page 2
COLORADO
Execution debated State Senate to consider eliminating death penalty in order to save money Page 18
SPORTS
Cannon wins race Page 19
■ LOTTO
■ INDEX Briefs . . . . . . . . .10 Business. . . . . . .14 Classifieds . . . . .23 Colorado. . . . . . .18 Comics . . . . . . . .21 Crossword . . . . .21
JOHN F. RUSSELL/STAFF
The Yampa River flows through downtown Steamboat Springs on Monday afternoon. Recent precipitation has boosted area streamflows, but emergency management officials still say the chance for flooding remains low.
Happenings . . . . .7 Horoscope . . . . .22 Scoreboard. . . . .20 Sports. . . . . . . . .19 ViewPoints . . . . . .8 Weather . . . . . . .18
Monday night’s Cash 5 numbers: 3-12-24-28-30 Drawings are held Monday through Saturday.
■ WEATHER
Cloudy with showers. High of 60.
Page 18
The first few days of May already have brought Steamboat Springs more than half of its average precipitation for the month, but officials still see no heightened flood risk this year. Spring showers have created some noticeable headaches, however, including closures on the Yampa River Core Trail and visible slope failures on the face of city-owned ski area Howelsen Hill. Bryon Lawrence, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Junction, said there have been 10.57 inches of precipitation in Steamboat Springs this year as of Monday. The historical average for the same timeframe is 9.15 inches. There were 1.06 inches of precipitation in the first three days of May alone. The historical average for the entire month is 2.06 inches, according to Lawrence. “We’re off to a wet start in May,” Lawrence said. “Yes, it is wetter than normal, and yes, streams and rivers are going to rise accordingly, but we’re not expecting any floods in Steamboat Springs. … At this point, we’re looking at a very low risk of flooding.” As of Monday evening, the Yampa River in Steamboat Springs was flowing at 1,320 cubic feet per second (cfs), compared with a historical mean of 1,110 cfs and median of 1,160 cfs, according to U.S. Geological Survey station readings. See Water, back page
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