Silverthorne, Colorado.
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| Bill Linfield / Special to the Daily |
Boaters can paddle the Blue River below Dillon Dam again.
The section was reopened Friday, June 13, after Police Chief Mark Hanschmidt reevaluated outflow levels and determined that the waters were safe for boating.
The Silverthorne portion of the Blue River was down to 1,100 cubic feet per second, the town announced Friday, which increases the headroom below the bridges.
“The town will continue to monitor changes to the outflow and reinstate the closure if necessary,” Hanschmidt said in a release.
At its meeting Wednesday, June 11, the town council passed an emergency ordinance amending the town code to allow the police chief to close the Blue River to boating, at any time, to protect public safety.
On June 3, the Blue River in Silverthorne south (upstream) of Sixth Street was closed indefinitely to recreational watercraft due to high outflows. The flows in this part of the Blue River reached 1,700 cfs, and bridges in the closure area didn’t provide the necessary clearance for most watercraft to pass beneath safely.
Blue River waters north (downstream) of Sixth Street remained open, but officials suggested that only experienced watercraft users enter the river.
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.
