Dam removal will require closure on Arkansas River near Salida
SALIDA, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announced Monday an upcoming closure on the Arkansas River near Salida so that a dam can be removed.
CPW said they will be closing a short section of the river on Oct. 23 to facilitate the removal of a low-head dam located 1.5 miles upstream from the Mount Shavano State Fish Hatchery. The closure will be in place from the Chaffee County Road 166 Bridge to the Salida Boat Ramp and is expected to last six weeks.
According to CPW, the dam was first built around 1956 to collect water for the hatchery downstream and then rebuilt in 1988 with an adjacent boat ramp. Removing it will benefit the brown trout, rainbow trout, and native white suckers that inhabit the river by opening about 85 miles of river upstream to fish migration. CPW says barriers like the dam limit genetic diversity by essentially dividing the population into two segments. The ability of fish to move freely in a river also helps to prevent overpopulation by balancing the amount of habitat and forage with the number of fish it can support, the agency said.
The removal of the dam will also address a deadly threat to boaters on the river. CPW says water spilling over the dam churns at the bottom, creating a powerful suction that can capsize and trap boaters or swimmers.
According to CPW, signs at access points will direct boaters, rafters, and others traveling instream how to avoid the closure. River users are encouraged to CPW’s Salida-based Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) at 719-539-7289 for updates.
