Independent newsroom

Monday, October 26, 2026

The File

Every claim traces to a primary source. Uncertainty is labeled. Corrections are public.

Safety · Monday, October 26, 2026

The San Juan is back in its banks, but flooded neighborhoods stay closed

The File desk · Oct. 26, 2026, 7:47 a.m. ET

Partially confirmed5 primary sourcesUpdated 7:47 a.m. ET, Oct. 26

Status

Partially confirmed. The end of the flood warnings is the National Weather Service. The Farmington river reading is the U.S. Geological Survey, and it is provisional. Closed neighborhoods, power outages, wells, schools and the recovery center are San Juan County's Sunday evening update, read through a public repost and a local TV station, not the county's own page.
  • Confirmed
    The National Weather Service in Albuquerque cancelled its river flood warnings for San Juan County, N.M., Sunday evening and overnight; the last, for the river at Shiprock, at 1:21 a.m. ET Monday. No weather service alert is active for the county.
  • Confirmed
    The Farmington gauge is reporting again: 5.3 feet at 7 a.m. ET Monday, provisional, below the 7-foot bankfull mark and the 8.5-foot flood stage (USGS, NWS).
  • Partially confirmed
    San Juan County said Sunday evening there had been no new rescues in 24 hours, evacuated areas remain closed because of life-safety hazards, about 500 homes and businesses were without power, town water is safe but private wells may be contaminated, and Navajo Dam is safe and releasing its minimum flow (county update reposted by Watch Duty; KOAT).
  • Partially confirmed
    Untreated sewage from treatment plants in Bloomfield, Farmington and Shiprock reached the river, Navajo Nation officials said Saturday (Navajo Times).
For the first time since Friday, the river gauge at Farmington is talking again, and the number is low: 5.3 feet early Monday, below the point where the San Juan spills its banks.1 By early Monday the National Weather Service had cancelled its flood warnings for the county.2 But people forced out of the flooded neighborhoods still cannot go home.3
The weather office in Albuquerque cancelled the Farmington warning at about 8 p.m. ET Sunday and the Shiprock warning at 1:21 a.m. ET Monday, and no weather service alert remains for San Juan County.2 The U.S. Geological Survey's Farmington gauge, silent since Friday's record crest, read 5.3 feet at 5 a.m. mountain time, 7 a.m. Eastern. Bankfull there is 7 feet and flood stage is 8.5. The reading is provisional.12
The county's Sunday evening update said there had been no new rescues for 24 hours. Evacuated areas are still closed because of life and safety hazards, with police and the National Guard patrolling. About 500 customers had no power, and the county said some outages may take days because lines must be inspected first. Town water supplies are safe, it said, but private wells may be contaminated, and it has asked the state for help testing them.3 On Saturday, Navajo Nation officials said untreated sewage from treatment plants in Bloomfield, Farmington and Shiprock had gone into the river, and told people to stay out of the water and to keep livestock from drinking it.5
Two bridges, Road 5500 at Lee Acres and the Road 6675 bridge, stay shut until New Mexico's transportation department inspects them. Schools in Bloomfield, Farmington and the Central Consolidated district are closed Monday. Navajo Dam upstream is safe, the county said, releasing 250 cubic feet per second, the minimum it needs to operate, with Navajo Lake about 62 percent full.34 The county said more rain may come Thursday.3
Why it matters (Estimate). A flood does not end when the river drops. What is left behind is water and mud carrying sewage, fuel and chemicals, wells that may no longer be safe to drink from, and riverbanks undercut and ready to give way. The danger has moved from rescue to recovery, and that is why the county is still keeping people out. This is our reading.
A disaster recovery center is set to open at 8 a.m. mountain time Monday at San Juan College's Quality Center for Business in Farmington, with state, Red Cross and insurance help in one place, the county said.3
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.U.S. Geological Survey, San Juan River at Farmington (09365000), gage height 5.30 feet at 05:00 MDT Oct. 26, marked provisional. Source 1.
  2. 2.National Weather Service Albuquerque, flood warning cancellations for San Juan County, N.M., 5:58 p.m. MDT Oct. 25 and 11:21 p.m. MDT Oct. 25 (7:58 p.m. and 1:21 a.m. ET), and the earlier statement giving bankfull and flood stage for Farmington. No active alerts for the county as of Monday morning. Source 2.
  3. 3.San Juan County Office of Emergency Management evening update, Oct. 25, as reposted by Watch Duty from the county's Facebook page. Not the county's own page; Partially confirmed. Source 3.
  4. 4.KOAT, Oct. 25, quoting county emergency managers. Partially confirmed. Source 4.
  5. 5.Navajo Times, Oct. 24, quoting Navajo Nation Police Deputy Chief Donnie Kee. Partially confirmed. Source 5.

What is still unknown or disputed

  • When people can return to the evacuated neighborhoods. The county gave no date.
  • How many homes were damaged, and whether anyone died. This desk found no official death count.
  • What the well tests will show.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    San Juan River at Farmington, NM (09365000)

    U.S. Geological Survey · October 26, 2026

    Gage height 5.30 ft, 2026-10-26 05:00 MDT (provisional)

    https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/09365000/

  2. Source 2

    Flood Warning cancelled, San Juan County, NM

    National Weather Service Albuquerque · October 26, 2026

    The Flood Warning has been cancelled and is no longer in effect.

    https://api.weather.gov/alerts/urn:oid:2.49.0.1.840.0.cc13bb596a5e1795739f597306f1c79c0d44bcb4.001.1

  3. Source 3

    San Juan County Flooding evening update, October 25, 2026 (repost of San Juan County Office of Emergency Management)

    Watch Duty · October 25, 2026

    There have been no additional rescues for 24 hours; rivers continue to recede ... Evacuated areas are still closed; there are life & safety hazards in evacuated areas.

    https://app.watchduty.org/i/126065

  4. Source 4

    Historic New Mexico floods ease in San Juan County

    KOAT · October 25, 2026

    Officials report Navajo Lake is at 62% capacity and the dam is only releasing the minimal amount of water necessary to maintain operations of the dam.

    https://www.koat.com/article/historic-new-mexico-floods-ease-san-juan-animas-rivers/74241324

  5. Source 5

    Untreated sewage contaminates San Juan River as floodwaters threaten public health

    Navajo Times · October 24, 2026

    Sewage plants in Bloomfield, Farmington, and Shiprock have been impacted and sewage has been released into the water.

    https://navajotimes.com/reznews/untreated-sewage-contaminates-san-juan-river-as-floodwaters-threaten-public-health/