The flash flood that washed away homes in Hermosa was a near-record event for Battle Creek, U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Dan Driscoll says.

The record for the Battle Creek gauge near Hermosa is 17.2 feet, Driscoll said, set during the June 1972 flood.

The Aug. 17 flood registered 14.9 feet. "That's far and away the highest gauge height since 1972," Driscoll said. "It was getting into that ballpark.

The Aug. 17 reading will almost certainly be revised upward. Gauges can under-report levels during extreme floods, so other data will be used to get a more accurate measurement.

That could take weeks, Driscoll said.