Colorado floodwaters flow into western Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Floodwaters from Colorado quickly filled the South Platte River in western Nebraska Wednesday and began to spill out onto the rural land nearby.

Flooding is expected to continue as the surge moves east down the South Platte and into the larger Platte River over the next several days.

But much of the land at risk initially is pasture or cropland with little development, and the cities along the river for at least the first 75 miles don't sit directly on the South Platte, so officials are optimistic.

"We're hoping that the cities in the area will be OK," National Weather Service meteorologist Jessica Brooks said.

In neighboring Colorado, roughly 200 people remained missing Wednesday after devastating floods that killed at least eight people and destroyed more than 7,200 homes and businesses.

Most of the area around the South Platte remains in a severe drought, but it's not clear if the dry land surrounding the river will be able to absorb much of the floodwater.

"The water is still coming at a fairly fast clip, so it's not like it has a lot of time to soak in," Brooks said.

The National Weather Service predicts the South Platte will rise quickly.

For instance, the river measured 1.6 feet deep near Roscoe Wednesday morning. By Thursday afternoon, it's expected to reach 12.5 feet deep — shattering the old record of 11.3 feet.

A new record was already set in Julesburg, Colo., on Wednesday when the river reached 10.7 feet, up from about 2 feet earlier this week.

In North Platte, the river is expected to rise from the current 5.3 feet to 13.9 feet on Saturday. Officials expect some neighborhoods and a golf course in southwest North Platte to experience flooding.

Region 21 Emergency Manager Ron Leal said it feels strange to be dealing with flooding now after spending the summer worrying about the drought.

"We were gearing up for all the wildfires that didn't happen and now this," said Leal, who oversees preparations in Deuel County, on the border with Colorado.

Leal said he thinks Big Springs will be well protected from floodwaters because Union Pacific tracks and a couple of culverts stand between the city and the river.

But officials evacuated a Big Springs truck stop Wednesday afternoon and closed the main road into the city from the interstate as floodwaters encroached.

Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said the railroad raised seven miles of track near Ogallala by several inches and piled rock along tracks between Julesburg, Colo., and Big Springs, Neb. to protect the line that sees 50 trains a day.

Even if the floodwaters remain mostly in rural areas, officials warned that the water could be carrying contaminants that could cause problems if they get into drinking water wells or water treatment systems.

Cities in the area have built sandbag walls around wastewater treatment plans, and officials are warning private well owners to monitor water quality and take steps to protect their drinking water by taking a well out of service and sealing it off until after the flooding if needed.

Downstream of North Platte, the Weather Service predicts minor flooding when the water reaches Cozad, Kearney and Grand Island early next week, but that forecast may change as the floodwater gets closer.