Heat has forced Steamboat Springs officials to close off access to the Yampa River for recreation to reduce harm to aquatic insects and fish.
The closure began Wednesday after city officials recorded water temperatures over two days topping 75 degrees – the agreed-on threshold in the local river management plan. City crews on Wednesday were posting signs at popular river access points, and shops that rent tubes for floating turned away scores of tourists.
“We want to protect fish in the river. We want to save the Yampa River,” said MJ LaBenne, helping to run Backdoor Sports, one of several businesses that cater to tourists and rent tubes for floating down the river through Steamboat.
“It’s sad. Our business takes a hit — all these families that planned around this. It hurts us in more than financial ways. We’re taking a lot of calls, having to turn a lot of families away.”
They suggest soaking in the hot springs and riding bicycles instead of floating down the river.
Steamboat Springs Parks and Recreation officials declared the closure Tuesday night after measuring river water temperatures on Monday and Tuesday. No end date has been set. The closure means all river-related commercial activities, such as guided fishing, are suspended. In addition, the city officials have asked that everybody — tubers, paddle boarders, anglers — voluntarily adhere to the closure.
National Weather Service forecasts show continued higher-than-average heat in Steamboat Springs this week, with temperatures reaching 88 degrees on Wednesday and staying at 80 degrees or higher through Sunday. Afternoon rain could help reduce heat. Water flows in the Yampa have measured above 120 cubic feet per second — enough to appeal to river users.
Steamboat Springs has adopted river management rules that require closures for tubing and angling if water temperatures exceed 75 degrees for two days and when water flows decrease to less than 85 cubic feet per second.
Elevated water temperatures strain aquatic life. By keeping people off the river, officials said, they hope to minimize overall impacts.
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