As the peak runoff time approaches, county and town governments are keeping a close eye on rivers and streams and trying to be as prepared as possible for the rising waters expected soon.

Stream flows are still at or below average for this time of year, meaning the snow pack — which exceeded averages by up to 500 percent this year in some areas — is still up on the mountains with the heaviest runoff is yet to come.

“It's not coming off,” assistant county manager Thad Noll said. “If you look at Breck, you could still ski top to bottom. The window of melting is getting smaller. Normally we're starting the peak runoff now (but this year) we're not even close to getting there yet. We're in this waiting game of, ‘we'll see what happens.'”

What probably will happen within a few weeks is sections of recpaths near the Summit County Justice Center in Breckenridge, at Keystone and in the Copper Mountain area will be under water, and the rising runoff might also make its way up to local roads or even Interstate 70, Noll said.

The melting will likely pick up this week — National Weather Service forecasts put temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s for most of the week and indicate a few thunderstorms are possible this weekend — so officials are carefully monitoring streams and rivers through the towns and are encouraging residents to stock up on sandbags.

Town levels

In Silverthorne water levels are already on the rise.

A section of the Blue River trail was shut down at Bald Eagle Road underpass due to high water and will likely remain closed for the next several weeks, according to a town statement.

Town officials continue to monitor the Blue River and other waterways for high water or flooding, the statement said.

Breckenridge is also keeping a close eye on sections of the Blue River, assigning police patrol and even closing roads as the water rises to levels classified in three stages of ascending danger.

At stage three the town would “start bringing in police patrol. They actually increase their patrols there,” Breckenridge spokeswoman Kim DiLallo said. “We would have barricades and ‘road closed' signs wherever it's necessary.”

She stressed the importance of having and using sand bags and keeping children and pets away from swift-moving water.

“You just don't realize how fast those streams are flowing,” DiLallo said.

Frisco's primary concern as flood season begins in force will be Tenmile Creek, though Meadow Creek on the north side of town might also be problematic.

“We are monitoring our culverts and bridges,” Frisco Public Works director Tim Mack said. “When we see there's any breaching of roadways we will be doing sand bagging and berming. When we hit (high water flow levels), instead of one eye we'll keep both eyes on the creek.”

Mack said he is watching the areas that have become problem spots in the past, including the bridges on Third and Fourth avenues, on the look out for early indicators of flooding.

At the county level, officials from Public Works and the Summit County Sheriff's Office are also monitoring problem areas and trying to keep culverts and clear.

So far this year there has been more debris in the water than normally seen, possibly due to the pine beetle epidemic, officials said.

While Dillon Valley in unincorporated Summit County has had flooding trouble from Straight Creek in the past, the Town of Dillon itself likely has little to worry about from the approach of spring runoff.

“Our geography is such that we don't have any areas of the town that are in the flood plain,” town manager Devin Granbery said.

The town will, however, hold a high water safety meeting for residents tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Dillon Town Hall.

High Water Preparedness brochure

2011 SC High Water Packet