In Colorado, Retreating Water Leaves Miles Of Silt & Sewage Sludge Behind - LA Times
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Evans, just south of Greeley, was simply bearing witness to basic physics — which communities in eastern Colorado and Nebraska are now experiencing in a brutal way: Water goes downhill, sometimes carrying toxins with it.
The lingering magnitude of the disaster is staggering: By midweek, 17 counties in Colorado had been inundated. The floodwaters continued hurtling eastward, toward Deuel, Keith and Lincoln counties in Nebraska, which received flood warnings Wednesday.
"This water, the water we have here, started up in the mountains, so we have urban runoff, which could include fertilizer and agriculture runoff, which could include manure," said Jennifer Finch, a spokeswoman for Weld County, where Evans is located. "That water has picked up a lot of stuff along the way, and sewage as well."
Six Colorado residents were confirmed dead and 300 others remained missing after the equivalent of nearly a year's worth of moisture fell in the course of several days along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains. Hundreds of people are still in the flood zone, but many continued to stay in their homes despite rescuers' pleas to leave.
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http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-colorado-sludge-20130919,0,6117813.story