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12 houses flooded in Pueblo after levy breached

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUEBLO – Water up to 3 feet deep flooded the foundations of a dozen houses Monday after a levee along Fountain Creek was breached.At least two businesses were also flooded, and water spilled across a low-lying stretch of Colorado 47.The water had receded from homes and businesses by Monday evening, but authorities were recommending that residents spend the night elsewhere after water samples showed high levels of E. coli and other bacteria, said Woody Percival of the Pueblo Fire Department.The creek has been running high because of runoff from recent rain and snow. Water from the creek filled a containment area on the north end of the city and spread across a road to houses in a low-lying area, police Capt. Richard Goddard said.Goddard said most residents evacuated before the water reached their homes.Crews had to build a new road to reach the breach, estimated to be at least 70 feet, and were working to fix the breach, Percival said.”There’s no levee at all for about 70 feet,” he said.Clyde Quimby of Colorado Tire said he got his computers out before his business was flooded.”But I just bought a bunch of new equipment, and that’s probably going to be ruined,” he told the Pueblo Chieftain in a story posted on the newspaper’s Web site.The National Weather Service said between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain fell Sunday night, feeding Fountain Creek.


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