The Dillon Reservoir will “fill and spill” for the second year in a row, Denver Water announced this week.

That is good news for rafters, boaters, fish and regional water interests on both sides of the Continental Divide, according to the public utility agency. Denver Water serves 1.5 million people in Colorado’s capital city and its surrounding suburbs.

Performance Tours Rafting owner Kevin Foley said that after a good season on Summit County’s Blue River last year, his team is excited to see that the Blue will be raftable again this year.

“We’re running two trips a day this year, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, roughly an hour and a half on the water,” Foley said. “It’s a beautiful trip. You have the Eagles Nest Wilderness as your background with the Gore Range there.”

Performance Tours, which operates locally out of Frisco and Breckenridge, has had a permit for commercial rafting activities on the Blue River since 1986. With other locations on the Arkansas River in Buena Vista and the Colorado River in Royal Gorge, it is the company’s 38th season operating.

But the Blue River – which has flows controlled by releases from the Dillon Dam – is not raftable every season. In fact, last year was the first time in three years that there had been the proper conditions – such as a strong snowpack and spring runoff – to make for raftable conditions on the Blue River.

Locals, many of whom moved to Summit County for world-class recreation, love the stretch of the lower Blue because it is closer to home than the Arkansas River or Colorado River. Area rafting companies also adore the stretch because it offers Class 3 rapids that are exciting but not overly technical, and has stunning views. It is the only commercially raftable water in the county. 

The Dillon Reservoir – which is Denver’s public water supply –  is currently 87% full, matching the average for May, according to Denver Water. Natural streamflow into the reservoir is predicted to be 101% of normal this runoff season and, right now, inflow into the reservoir is about 350 cubic feet per second.

With the reservoir levels expected to reach an elevation of 9,012 feet by June 12, Denver Water said that it expects both the Dillon and Frisco marinas could be fully operational by that date.

As inflows into the reservoir increase over the next week, Denver Water said it will ramp up outflow to the Blue River to between 200 and 400 cubic feet per second. Then, the following week, outflow may be adjusted to accommodate the Colorado Park and Wildlife’s fish survey and will likely remain in the 250 to 400 cubic feet per second range.

But by the end of May or early June, Foley said that he expects the Blue River will be open to commercial rafting, which requires at least 500 cubic feet per second. He expects the season could last three to four weeks, though it could be longer or shorter depending on weather.

With a healthy snowpack peak of 119%, Foley said that the conditions for rafting could be pristine this summer. That is enough of a snowpack to fill the Dillon Reservoir and have other rivers in the state flowing too, but it is not so much that it will create too strong of streamflows for commercial rafting, he said.

“From a snowpack and white water rafting perspective, we’re looking at pretty much ideal conditions this year,” Foley said. “Most outfitters in the business are very excited about the upcoming summer and the potential rafting conditions.”