AVON, Colo. — Residents in Avon are encouraged to pick up sand and sandbags — courtesy of the Public Works Department — to help prevent heavy rains from flooding their homes this summer.
Gary Padilla, operations manager with the Avon Public Works Department, said the materials are available for free.
This move was spurred by unexpected issues with flooding during a slow-moving storm in 2021.
On July 22, 2021, heavy rain hit the Avon area, which caused severe mudslides around the mountain town. Westbound lanes of Interstate 70 closed around 4:15 p.m. before reopening at 6:45 p.m. that day. According to The Vail Daily, the Sonnen Halde and Beaver Bench condominiums in Avon were heavily impacted, and the storm left residents with mud and debris in their homes.
"Last year we had some apartment units below parking lot grade that got water into their units, so they are trying to prevent water from entering their units by sand bagging at the parking lot level to force the water to the end of the parking lot," Padilla explained.
In preparation for any similar event, the town's Public Works Department now has sand and sandbags available near the Recycling Center located at 375 Yoder Avenue, located just east of the Walmart and Home Depot. Residents must bring their own shovel.
