CPW lifts closure on Arkansas River following completion of dam removal project

SALIDA, Colo. (KRDO) - Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has lifted a closure on the Arkansas River above Salida that was put in place in October to allow for the removal of a low-head dam.

According to CPW, the dam was located 1.5 miles upstream from the Mount Shavano State Fish Hatchery. It was first built in 1956 to collect water for the hatchery and then in 1987, the dam was rebuilt with an adjacent boat chute.

“By removing the dam, we have eliminated a deadly threat to the thousands who boat on this popular stretch of the Arkansas River each year,” said Tom Waters, CPW’s park manager for the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area. CPW said removing the dam also enhances the movements of fish – brown trout, rainbow trout, and native white suckers – by easing migration access to about 85 miles of the Gold Medal river upstream. Barriers like the dam limit genetic diversity by essentially isolating segments of the river’s fish population. 

According to CPW, three people have died at the dam since 2010.

Visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife for more information on this project.