The Summit County Sheriff’s Office and town of Silverthorne have temporarily closed the Blue River from the base of the Dillon Dam to the Sixth Street Bridge in Silverthorne, according to a press release. The closure is due to high water caused by snow runoff being released from the dam.
Denver Water notified the town and Sheriff’s Office that water in the Upper Blue north of the Dillon Dam had reached 1,000 cubic feet per second on Monday, June 1. Sheriff Jaime FitzSimons and Silverthorne Police Chief John Minor agreed there was a risk of serious injury or even death presented by the high water.
The closure will remain in place until water levels are low enough that recreational boaters can safely pass under the Sixth Street Bridge.
The Sheriff’s Office also reminded residents to take precautions when venturing near the river in the coming weeks as the spring runoff peaks. As of June 1, the Blue River was running at 1,000 cfs below Dillon Reservoir. Other flows into Lake Dillon include the Blue River flowing from Breckenridge at 420 cfs, Tenmile Creek flowing at 643 cfs below its confluence with North Tenmile Creek and Straight Creek flowing at 71 cfs.
