Rain isn’t helping rafters down the Arkansas River
Monsoon moisture has been hitting Southern Colorado hard. Areas surrounding the Hayden Pass Fire burn scar flooded Tuesday, washing mud and debris across roads and into the Arkansas River.
Now, rafting companies are finding it harder to navigate the Arkansas following the rain.
“This is a pretty rare sight,” Bryan Cross said.
Cross is talking about the color of the water.
“It was quite a challenge, but we all did pretty good, nobody swam,” Cross said.
Cross has been a rafting guide for six years, and says the dark, almost black-colored water isn’t typical for August.
“When it gets dark like this, you can’t really see very well what’s up front, you’re just kind of reading the current,” Cross said.
The ash and debris in the Arkansas River caused by flash flooding over the burn scar, makes the water more murky.
“When it’s a lot clearer you can see those rocks,” Cross said. “You can tuck your oars up.”
Rocks are more prominent in late August on the Arkansas because the river isn’t being supplemented by dam releases upstream.
“We return to what’s known as ‘native flow,'” Tony Keenan said. “Which means all the water is just what Mother Nature provides.”
The Arkansas River told a different story Tuesday night, as heavy rain on the Hayden Pass Fire burn scar caused flash flooding. But the elevated levels were brief, and created no noticeable difference for rafters.
“All the water we get has to fall from the sky up above Salida for it do do much effect for us,” Keenan said.
But the murky water left behind, remains hard to navigate.
“We kind of know where the rocks are,” Cross said. “So we’re kind of just going off of memory.”
Guides say they expect the water to clear up, but are unsure if that will happen before the end of the season around Labor Day.
