San Juan River Crests at 31 Feet

Residents in the Four Corners region face a return to homes saturated by floodwaters mixed with raw sewage and chemicals. One person died in the flooding, and officials warned that water levels remain elevated even as rivers begin to recede. The San Juan River hit its peak on Monday, marking the end of days of intense rainfall that saturated the landscape across Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

The National Weather Service reported the river reached 31 feet, well above the 23-foot flood stage. This level approaches the record high of 32 feet set in 1927. The water is expected to fall below flood stage by Tuesday morning. The surge followed unusually heavy rain that began Wednesday, driven by tropical moisture from the Pacific and likely exacerbated by El Niño conditions.

Health risks remain a central concern for returning residents. Sewage releases occurred in the Shiprock, New Mexico area after wastewater facilities and holding ponds were damaged. The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority confirmed the contamination. In Farmington, hundreds of people remained without power, and local officials stated that swollen rivers were still receding. San Juan County spokesperson Devin Neeley described the area as an active disaster zone, noting that official figures on damaged homes and evacuations were not yet available.

Local leaders are urging caution as families re-enter their neighborhoods. San Juan County Fire & Rescue Chief David Vega acknowledged that the public is anxious to return but emphasized that hazards like broken gas lines and contaminated water persist. Undersheriff Cory Tanner said officials were conducting house-to-house inspections to identify these dangers, a process that could take several days. Residents in Bluff, Utah, were allowed to return early Monday after being evacuated over the weekend.

The flooding caused one reported death in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A female passenger was swept away while a family attempted to cross a flooded arroyo in a vehicle on Saturday. The father and child reached land, but the woman was found a mile away, the county sheriff's office said. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and New Mexico National Guard Major General Miguel Aguilar visited the affected county on Monday to survey the damage and meet with residents.

Individuals like Zach Flatt in Bloomfield, New Mexico, experienced rapid water rise after receiving evacuation orders on Thursday. Flatt recalled the water jumping four feet in 30 to 40 minutes. His family watched via webcam as 18 inches of water covered their property, washing away 22 of their 24 chickens. New Mexico's congressional delegation urged President Donald Trump to declare a state emergency to release federal assistance funding.

In Colorado, teams mapped affected roads and evacuation zones to guide recovery efforts. The current flooding follows two months of on-and-off heavy rain that ended a period of drought. Previous deadly floods had struck the Grand Canyon and other parts of New Mexico earlier in the season.