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Changing course

Water project on Animas nears completion

Where once the Animas River cut into Smelter Mountain, crews have changed its path so it flows into the city’s intake near Santa Rita Park, ensuring residents will have water coming out of their taps all winter.

Lemon Dam construction this winter will reduce the water level in the Florida River, the city’s primary source of water, so the city wanted to ensure the Animas River intake could take in water to meet the city’s needs, Utilities Director Steve Salka said.

The project was designed with boaters and fish in mind, and they will notice major changes as they navigate the river.

“We tried to take everybody’s concerns into consideration,” he said.

Rock weirs to correct the flow should be finished in about two weeks, well ahead of the dam construction, he said.

No matter what happens with flows in the Florida, the Animas can provide the city’s average water consumption of 3 million gallons of water per day. The water in front of the intake was about 18 feet deep earlier this week.

“This is the deepest I’ve ever seen the water during this time of year,” Salka said.

Before construction, the Animas River was shifting away from the intake to the west, and the completion of the Whitewater Park in 2014 exacerbated that problem, Salka said.

It created a hole, 23 feet into the bank and 23 feet deep, and there were times when the water level dropped below the city’s intake, he said.

For the intake to function, the water must flow into it because the city doesn’t actively pump the water there.

In addition to the weirs, the city put in extensive rock along the west bank to protect it, he said. Construction is within its $1 million budget and three weeks ahead of schedule, he said.

Crews did not work on the rapids within the Whitewater Park that will be widened. That is a separate project managed by Parks and Recreation, Salka said.

But boaters are likely to notice an improvement. As one of the widest sections of river, it was shallow, even when the river was running fairly high, said John Brennan, a member of the Animas River Task Force.

“It will definitely improve the boating experience,” he said.

Boaters floated along the west bank before construction but now they will come down the east bank, or river left, over a drop in a weir created for them, Salka said.

“We’ve created a consolidated low-flow area that is safe and navigable,” said Shane Sigle with Riverwise Engineering, the city’s consultant on the project.

Above 1,500 cubic feet per second, boaters will be able to run down the middle, Brennan said.

“The designer did a fantastic job,” he said.

The city also incorporated fish ladders into the weirs and put in boulders that will create pockets of calm water for the fish to rest, Salka said.

Crews did their best not to kick up sediment by diverting water to keep their work areas dry, he said. This protects the fish as well.

For awhile, they were fairly successful, but for the last three weeks, the water has been dirty, said Tom Knopick, a co-owner of Duranglers.

“Here at Duranglers and fishermen we talk to are pretty fed up with backhoes being in the river,” he said.

It’s nearly impossible to fish around whitewater parks, so he doesn’t think the project will benefit anglers or the fishery.

If the project stays on track, crews should be pouring concrete to keep rocks in place next week and finish shortly after that.

Brennan, who has worked on many river projects, praised the project but also cautioned against expecting perfection.

“You make these major changes and there is going to be some growing pains,” he said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

Aug 11, 2016
Construction in Animas River to start Monday
Apr 10, 2016
City of Durango to correct river’s path near Santa Rita


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