McPhee runneth over
Dolores spill begins a few weeks ahead of schedule

by Missy Votel

The Bureau of Rec – with a little help from Mother Nature – is answering boaters’ prayers a few weeks early. The Dolores Water Conservancy District announced Monday that, thanks to an unseasonably warm March, the spill gates at McPhee Reservoir would officially open Wed., March 29.

This year marks the most water released from the dam into the Dolores River since 2008.

Plans call to gradually ramp up flows by 400 cfs per day, with flows reaching a boatable level of 1,200 cfs by Saturday and 2,000 cfs next week. Once at 2,000, the flows will remain steady for about a month, until 4,000 cfs will be released over several days in a simulated “high-water” event before returning to 2,000 cfs and tapering off.

The spill was originally expected to start the second week in April, however the early melt, combined with more precipitation on the way, caused water managers to open the floodgates early.

“March stayed dry up until last week. Since then we’ve received two storms with more on the way,” read the water conservancy’s website. “What’s been more of an impact were the warmer sunny days for most of March. Those record warm days translated into an isothermal snow pack across Colorado that is poised to start melting … it became very apparent last week that the runoff was coming in much higher and sooner than normal. The recent storms and cloud cover have steadied the inflow, but irrigation has not started and McPhee continues to rise.”

Storms are possible for another 10 -14 days, but will only slow the runoff, not stop the inflow, the website explained. 

While officials say it is hard to predict how the rafting season will play out, boaters can expect a season of at least 60 days.

The early spill caught more than boaters by surprise. It also has caught the Colorado Department of Transportation, which is replacing an old bridge 4 miles downstream of Bedrock, off guard. The early release means crews are scrambling to remove a temporary low-clearance equipment bridge by this Thursday, instead of April 8.

While the temporary bridge will be removed, boaters will still face river closures due to bridge construction activities April 17-29, according to a CDOT news release. Spokeswoman Lisa Schwantes said boaters can expect temporary closures near the Bedrock boat ramp while the new bridge is being constructed. 

“When there are boaters that need to get through, we will cease work and allow them to get through,” she said. “It will be intermittent throughout the day.” 

However, there will be plenty of warning, with a “pre-warning” buoy 1,000 feet upstream of the Bedrock boat ramp; a flagger stationed at the Bedrock boat ramp; two white buoys to which rafters can attach while they wait for the river to re-open; and, as a last resort, a string of orange buoys farther downstream for rafters to tie off to as well.

Construction will not take place on Sundays. 

While the river closures are slated to end April 29, the new bridge will not be finished until later this summer, in late July or early August. 

For the most up-to-date information about the river and the McPhee spill, visit Doloreswater.com. The district will release updates every Monday and Thursday. You can also watch the release from McPhee here.