Activities restricted on Arkansas River from Pueblo Dam east to county line
PUEBLO, COLO. (KRDO) - The Pueblo Fire Department, the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have announced restricted use of the Arkansas River from the Pueblo Dam to the Pueblo County/Otero County line due to the dangerously fast-flowing and high water on the river.
The restrictions are effective as of today, Tuesday, June 11.
According to a joint statement from the three agencies, prohibited activities at this time include whitewater canoes, kayaks, recreational swimming (including with a life vest), and use of any single-chambered air-inflated devices to include inner tubes, inflatable mattresses and inflatable rafts and any multiple-chamber inflatables.
The agencies said violators of these restrictions will be cited.
Trails along the river are still open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, however, those using the trails will do so at their own risk, the statement said. Those using the trails are urged to remain cautious and aware of the river flow and to avoid areas with water on the trail.
“The tailwaters below the Lake Pueblo dam are a popular place to fish and tube,” said Joe Stadterman, CPW’s park manager at Lake Pueblo. “While high flows such as these can be attractive to some recreationists, the current conditions are just too dangerous to allow the river to stay open.”
The agencies also said the public is asked to stay away from the banks of the river and streams as saturated banks can break away. In addition to the flow of the river, the cold temperature of the water, much of which is coming from the snowmelt in the mountains, poses a risk to individuals.
According to the agencies, the Arkansas River is currently flowing at just over 6,000 cubic feet per second, which is about four times the normal flow. For perspective, one cubic foot is about the size of a basketball which means this is about 6,000 basketballs per second floating past at one given time, the statement said.
