BLUFF, Utah — The town of Bluff and nearby communities are finally seeing the full extent of the damage after the San Juan River overflowed, bringing destructive flooding to homes and businesses.
Josh Ewing, the mayor of Bluff, said the flooding hit the town directly.
"Flood waves did come through Bluff. We have four businesses and seven homes that were flooded in the event, so we're really feeling for those families and those business owners this morning," Ewing said.
One of those businesses is the Bluff Gardens Cabins. Its owners were there when the water started to rise Monday evening.
"We got over here at 5:00 and the water just started rising so rapidly. Within 20 minutes we were forced to this part of the property and everything was basically underwater," said Melanie Kranz, owner of Bluff Gardens Cabins.
Because of Bluff's proximity to several natural and historical landmarks, the cabins are typically full of tourists. Now, Kranz faces canceled reservations and an uncertain timeline for repairs.
"I'm canceling. I have at least 50 to 100 reservations that I now have to find other places for them to go and start repairs," Kranz said. "It'll be next year. I don't know how long it's going to take."
That uncertainty is something people living just outside of Bluff are feeling too.
"We're just looking forward to going home, but obviously not too soon, so we're kind of in a bind now still on where, or funding we can get or any resources, the places that we can stay," said Larena Benn, who lives near Bluff in the Navajo Nation.
Benn said the river flooded her entire neighborhood.
According to a Facebook post from the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, the flooding breached a wastewater lagoon treatment facility in Montezuma Creek, upriver from Bluff.
That wastewater, it said, could contain "bacteria, pathogens, and other contaminants that could pose a risk to human and animal health."
NTUA said people should stay out of the floodwaters and should not use any surface water that could have been affected by the flooding. NTUA said it would sample water downstream to evaluate any further impact.
A San Juan County commissioner said state officials are aware of the needs of the people impacted by the historic flooding.
"My understanding is the lieutenant governor will be down here on Wednesday to take a tour of the area and the devastation that is here," said Lori Maughan, a San Juan County commissioner. "The governor is out of the country on other business, so they're all offering whatever needs to be done, but of course that requires the documentation, the paperwork and everything that goes with that."
In the meantime, Bluff's administration is focusing on cleanup while keeping an eye on future weather events that could add to the flooding.
"The scary part of this is that the weather pattern that we're in is not over," Ewing said. "We're expecting in the forecast another serious rain for this weekend. We're setting up for what could be, like we had in the historic floods back in the 1920s."
As of now, Bluff's officials are waiting for the waters to recede before cleanup can begin. They've set up a website where you can donate to the people of Bluff who were impacted by the floods.
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