As plentiful snowpack meets hot summer temperatures, runoff in the Arkansas River basin has brought the level and speed of the river to heights seen only a few times in the past decade.
As plentiful snowpack meets hot summer temperatures, runoff in the Arkansas River basin has brought the level and speed of the river to heights seen only a few times in the past decade. Instrument Tube/Pipe
As plentiful snowpack meets hot summer temperatures, runoff in the Arkansas River basin has brought the level and speed of the river to heights seen only a few times in the past decade.
“This is runoff. There is a good snowpack this season, but this will not last forever. It may go up here in the near future, but it will certainly start to decrease,” said Tom Waters, park manager for the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area.
On the morning of June 11, provisional data from the US Geological Survey gauge on the Arkansas near Nathrop held steady at around 4500 cubic feet per second. On that same date in 2023, that gauge recorded just below 2000 CFS, around the median flow rate.
North of Buena Vista in Granite, the USGS gauge reports CFS over 3600. Downriver near the Royal Gorge, the Parkdale gauge reports CFS above 5000, peaking at 5500 CFS on June 10.
The Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area recommends that the Pine Creek Rapid below Granite not be run as CFS above 1250. The agency recommends not to run the Numbers over 2400 CFS or the Royal Gorge above 3200 CFS.
In the Buena Vista River Park, trails along both sides of the river are closed due to flooding.
The lake at McPhelemy Park, which just a few weeks ago was a shallow stream, is now off-limits to surface recreation activities like paddleboarding while the water is moving swiftly, said Recreation Special Projects Manager Earl Richmond.
Recreation Director Shane Basford said that the town is “currently advising users to use extreme caution in the BV River Park due to the high water flows.
“Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to utilize a bypass around the constructed waves in the River Park, as we have a different river geography than Salida,” Basford said. “We also do not have the ability to alter the natural features and the dam, but we are encouraging all to stay safe in the river during this period of runoff.”
The town has also installed “Know Before You Go,” signage in the River Park reminding boaters to make sure that they have the appropriate gear, like personal floatation devices, wetsuits and drysuits and that these items are properly fitted.
The AHRA has PFD stations in the whitewater parks in Buena Vista, Salida and Cañon City. The Public Works department on Gregg Drive has sandbags available for flood mitigation. Call public works director Shawn Williams at 719-395-6898 to arrange pick-up.
Williams said that Public Works had a busy weekend clearing debris out of Cottonwood Creek, but that he believed flows on the creek had peaked.
The city of Salida is recommending all boaters and river users use the bypass channel on the river left of the Scout Wave during this time of high water and strongly advises against surfing in the river park until conditions improve.
Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze’s office has been responding to calls on the river, as well.
“I don’t know how many of them, but every time they call, we respond,” he said. “It’s kind of quirky. Sometimes at low water, we have more accidents than we do at high water.”
Chaffee County Search and Rescue has had “a kicker of a week,” said spokesperson Kiki Lathrop, with seven missions on the river within the past week.
“It’s been a little bit everywhere, and that’s definitely a case of knowing that the water’s high and knowing your comfort level and your ability level,” Lathrop said.
“It’s a question of ‘Can I? Should I?’ she said. “Right now, with the water as high as it is, it’s a wild card. You never know what kind of new hazard is going to pop up.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife rangers “are actively patrolling, which is what we do all the time. There’s definitely more of a focus on the river, at this level because things happen very quickly when the river is moving as fast as it is right now,” Waters said. “We’re in the sites, we’re at the boat ramps. We’re talking to as many people as we can out there in the field to make sure that they, too are aware of the current conditions. … We try to do that as much as we can both in the field and when they call into the office.”
The AHRA also has crews of river rangers stationed at locations along the river “below a rapid that is maybe known to give people a hard time.
“They’ll be set up there with kayaks and throw bags and they’ll be trying to assist people to make that swim shorter should they have any issues at those rapids,” Waters said.
“People need to be aware that some of the bridges are portages at this level,” he added.
Waters said that AHRA practice when boaters call who don’t have a clear idea of what they want to do on the river or what gear they need is to direct them to private river outfitters.
“We point people to go with an outfitter because they’ll make sure that you’re going in a section of river that’s appropriate and that you wanted to be in,” he said. “They’ll make sure you’ve got all the safety gear that you need: the PFD, the helmet, the splash gear. They’re also sending you with a trained guide that knows the river very well.”
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