PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — On Tuesday afternoon, the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office issued a public safety alert, warning people of the prolonged heavy rain.
They say the rain is expected to cause flooding on roadways and in low-lying areas.
According to the alert, avoid rising water and areas near river banks or creeks. Throughout Tuesday, Many areas across Pueblo saw a lot of standing water.
Many neighborhood streets in Pueblo saw flooding on the side of the road, with the majority of the rainwater pooling up in the bike and turning lanes.
Some drivers drove through standing water at a couple of different intersections, including Abriendo and Lincoln, and Elizabeth and 22nd Street.
The stormwater drainage in those areas was flowing very fast.
Andrew Hayes with Pueblo Public Works said that water moving quickly into the storm drains is a good thing.
“So this is a show of exactly what we want to see water going into the storm drain.”
But in other areas of the city, like on Beulah Avenue next to the Colorado State Fairgrounds, it's a different and deeper story.
“This is an area that has historically had issues with undersized drainage infrastructure for decades,” Hayes said.
Hayes said public works is currently conducting a drainage study to improve these storm drains.
“Water doesn't have enough inlets to get into. The pipes are undersized to get it out of there, and so there's a study that is underway again to figure out how to get that water to drain,” Hayes said.
He said the study should be finished by the end of the year, but this week their focus is on this storm.
“With the steady rain that we've gotten. We're seeing some flows across places we don't normally see every day,” Hayes said.
He advises drivers to take extra caution in the rain.
“We ask drivers to remain cautious. Use extra caution. Don't drive through water that you can't see the bottom of, that you just don't drive through open water,” he said.
If water is pooling up near your home or if you are worried about storm water drainage, Hayes said, give public works a call, (719) 553-2295.
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