Will river rafting be a causality of climate change in Colorado?
DURANGO — Animas River water levels sank to less than a third of average for a second consecutive low-flow year, revealing sharp rocks, which complicate a plunge through whitewater rapids.
Her company and others endure by relying on crews adept at steering rubber rafts through rocks and maximizing splashes wherever possible. While a few riders have grumbled about low water, most still rave about their rides, Burke said. Along a heavily-trafficked stretch of the Animas south of Durango dubbed “The Smelter,” customers shrieked and smiled as currents carried them forth.
Natural flows after snow melts depend on rain, which boosts flows for a day or so, according to the graphs from U.S. Geological Survey gauges. “When that happens, we all know to shift and promote other activities,” such as Jeep rides in the mountains, Llewellyn said. “We’re trying to diversify the economy with other businesses.”LEFT: Commercial companies and individuals go down the Animas River in Durango on Thursday July, 14, 2022. Animas River water levels sank to less than a third of average for a second consecutive low-flow year.
Eventually, lower water in the Animas will force rafting companies and visitors to move elsewhere, said Bob Wolff, who represented Durango on the Southwest Colorado Water Conservation Board for 11 years. One possibility: kayaking on the Lake Nighthorse reservoir southwest of Durango where Animas water cleaned in a treatment plant is pumped and stored.Josh Stephenson, Special to The Denver Post
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