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Officials Warn Of High Creeks After Boy Drowns

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Jun 29, 2009 7:29 pm US/Mountain

Officials Warn Of High Creeks After Boy Drowns

Reporting
Stan Bush

VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: High water levels have made Fish Creek unsafe for searchers.
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Colorado creeks and rivers are so high right now officials are warning people to be careful after a 2-year-old boy died after apparently falling into Gore Creek in Vail while walking with his mother on Sunday.

The tributaries in Summit County are running so heavy that Lake Dillon is at 102 percent full, which almost never happens. It doesn't seem like there are any signs of the streams slowing down.

"It's fairly unusual to see the water up so high, it's actually about 2 feet over the top of the spillway right now," Bob Evans with the Dillon Marina said.

Large amounts of rain and melting snow are coming down from the mountains. It's the worst time to make a mistake by the water.

"You're always on edge. We take every water level seriously from the lowest to the highest water flows and safety is always our first concern," John Campameffe with the Colorado Adventure Center said.

"You don't want to be going down on your little inner tube or your vinyl inflatable raft that you bought at some discount place," Evans said. "Now's the time to leave it up to the professionals."

It's not clear just how long the high water will last. A drop any time soon seems unlikely.

"The first seven days of June we got as much rain as we do the entire month," Evans said.

River rafting experts are saying inexperienced rafters should stay away.

"A river is a natural setting. You need to take the Boy Scout mentality and just be prepared for situations," Campameffe said.

Heavy stream flow has also been a problem in the northern mountains. Authorities in Steamboat Springs planned to resume search efforts Monday for Rebecca Green, but Routt County Sheriff Gary Wall decided Saturday to postpone that because high water levels have made the creek unsafe for searchers. The 40-year-old woman was hiking with her 8-year-old son Kade along Fish Creek on June 13 when both fell in the water.

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