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A pair of Denver anglers, Scott Mattlingley and John Lee try their luck Wednesday afternoon on a section of the Blue River where the town of Silverthorne plans to build a whitewater kayak park between Interstate 70 and Blue River Parkway.
Summit County, CO Colorado
SILVERTHORNE — The Town of Silverthorne jumped over its largest hurdle to building a new kayak park this month when a district water judge signed off on the Town’s water rights application.
Water Division 5 Judge Daniel Petre signed the application on Oct. 7, two months after the last of 11 objectors to the application stipulated to a consent decree, canceling a five-day water court trial to settle the matter.
The signature represented the last step in a nearly three-year process to gain the flows necessary to support a kayak park, said Silverthorne town manager Kevin Batchelder.
The Town filed for a recreation in-channel diversion (RICD) in December 2004 that would secure flows of 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) into the Blue River from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May through September.
Additionally, the water right would allow flows of 600 cfs during the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Memorial Day holidays, in part to facilitate commercial rafting trips on the Blue during those popular weekends.
Denver Water owns the Dillon Reservoir and controls the annual release of water to Green Mountain Reservoir via the Blue River.
At least 90 percent of the water must be available for the Town to make a call on its water rights, according to the decree.
Christian “Campy” Campton, co-owner of KODI Rafting, said the judge’s decision will be great for business.
“I think it’s a huge thing for Summit County and for recreation around the county,” Campton said. “To be able to actually book the Blue River, that’s huge for us and the other companies that run the Blue.”
Campton said 600 cfs is plenty of water to run the 6-mile, class 3 stretch of river.
Currently, running rafting trips on the Blue River is hit-or-miss depending on water levels, making trip booking ahead of time difficult. Now, more of the summer tourism money typically spent in Chaffee, Grand or Fremont counties will stay in Summit, Campton said.
The daily, 100 cfs during the summer months is designed to provide a recreational experience for beginning kayakers and to accommodate a proposed “park and play” wave.
The Town of Silverthorne plans to construct a 1,000-foot long kayak course with three control structures in the section of river behind the Outlets at Silverthorne Blue Village.
The Town hasn’t earmarked any money for the approximately $500,000 project in next year’s budget, but will likely do so when it plans its 2009-2010 budget next year, Batchelder said.
Eleven entities objected to Silverthorne’s application to ensure a seat at the table during negotiations. Stipulations with the Town of Dillon and the City of Colorado Springs were worked out early in the process, while agreements with the Denver Water Board, several state agencies and the Colorado River Conservation District came in the last six months.
The Town of Frisco began construction this fall on a whitewater feature for kayakers in Ten Mile Creek, and hopes to be finished by next spring.
<I> Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com. </i>
SILVERTHORNE — The Town of Silverthorne jumped over its largest hurdle to building a new kayak park this month when a district water judge signed off on the Town’s water rights application.
Water Division 5 Judge Daniel Petre signed the application on Oct. 7, two months after the last of 11 objectors to the application stipulated to a consent decree, canceling a five-day water court trial to settle the matter.
The signature represented the last step in a nearly three-year process to gain the flows necessary to support a kayak park, said Silverthorne town manager Kevin Batchelder.
The Town filed for a recreation in-channel diversion (RICD) in December 2004 that would secure flows of 100 cubic feet per second (cfs) into the Blue River from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May through September.
Additionally, the water right would allow flows of 600 cfs during the Fourth of July, Labor Day and Memorial Day holidays, in part to facilitate commercial rafting trips on the Blue during those popular weekends.
Denver Water owns the Dillon Reservoir and controls the annual release of water to Green Mountain Reservoir via the Blue River.
At least 90 percent of the water must be available for the Town to make a call on its water rights, according to the decree.
Christian “Campy” Campton, co-owner of KODI Rafting, said the judge’s decision will be great for business.
“I think it’s a huge thing for Summit County and for recreation around the county,” Campton said. “To be able to actually book the Blue River, that’s huge for us and the other companies that run the Blue.”
Campton said 600 cfs is plenty of water to run the 6-mile, class 3 stretch of river.
Currently, running rafting trips on the Blue River is hit-or-miss depending on water levels, making trip booking ahead of time difficult. Now, more of the summer tourism money typically spent in Chaffee, Grand or Fremont counties will stay in Summit, Campton said.
The daily, 100 cfs during the summer months is designed to provide a recreational experience for beginning kayakers and to accommodate a proposed “park and play” wave.
The Town of Silverthorne plans to construct a 1,000-foot long kayak course with three control structures in the section of river behind the Outlets at Silverthorne Blue Village.
The Town hasn’t earmarked any money for the approximately $500,000 project in next year’s budget, but will likely do so when it plans its 2009-2010 budget next year, Batchelder said.
Eleven entities objected to Silverthorne’s application to ensure a seat at the table during negotiations. Stipulations with the Town of Dillon and the City of Colorado Springs were worked out early in the process, while agreements with the Denver Water Board, several state agencies and the Colorado River Conservation District came in the last six months.
The Town of Frisco began construction this fall on a whitewater feature for kayakers in Ten Mile Creek, and hopes to be finished by next spring.
<I> Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com. </i>
