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Tag Archives: dolores river
Could Dolores flood this year?: It’s theoretically possible, but officials say the chances are remote
“The river will break through above town and run down the highway and when it does my house is screwed.” “When it gets above 6000 cfs [cubic feet per second] it breaks through about 5 miles upriver and goes over … Continue reading
Published in April 2023
Tagged dolores river
Transforming a river corridor: An ambitious partnership has battled invasive plants along 180 miles of the Dolores, providing job training for young people in the process
What happens when you dam a river, use the resulting reservoir to irrigate 63,000 acres (sending the water to a different watershed), control downstream flows through human-dictated releases, and then have an extended drought? The ecosystem changes. This is what … Continue reading
Published in July 2017
Tagged dolores river
Here it comes! Dolores River to see a big, long rafting spill
The start of this year’s rafting season on the lower Dolores River was for only the hardy. When managers began ramping up releases of frigid waters from the bottom of McPhee Dam on March 29, snow still lay along much … Continue reading
Published in April 2017
Tagged dolores river
Boating the Dolores for the first time: a personal account
When I heard there was to be enough water for boating on the Lower Dolores River this spring, I knew there would be a lot of happy rafters and canoeists, but I didn’t figure I’d be among them. Circumstances have … Continue reading
Published in July 2016
Tagged dolores river
NCA talks begin: A water attorney says a conservation area could help constrain federal agencies and protect rights
The choices are simple when it comes to making decisions on managing the water and federal lands along the Lower Dolores River, an expert told a group of concerned citizens Sept. 30 in Cortez: One, do nothing and then “scream … Continue reading
Published in October 2015
Tagged dolores river, National Conservation Area
Dolores River NCA idea encounters turbulence: Montezuma County opposes the proposal, but others say it would protect water, values
Montezuma County opposes the proposal, but others say it would protect water, values Worried about water and wary of anything involving the federal government, the Montezuma County commissioners and the San Juan Basin Farm Bureau have come out in opposition … Continue reading
Published in March 2015
Tagged dolores river
New bridge eases troubled waters
The structure is aimed at reducing boater-landowner conflicts Cheers echoed Friday, July 25, over the rushing sound of the Dolores River as a small group of volunteers stretched the river’s first boater-safety fence across its waters. For nearly a year, … Continue reading
Published in August 2014
Tagged dolores river
Juggling act on the Dolores River
County planners struggle to balance property rights and public safety as they mull the valley’s management plan After countless hours of discussion and debate about the Dolores River Valley Plan, members of the Montezuma County Planning and Zoning Commission remain … Continue reading
Published in April 2014
Tagged dolores river, dolores river valley plan
Rafter-rancher conflict makes for troubled waters
If river water runs through anyone’s veins, it’s those of Tom Wolfe. Wolfe, 49, of Dolores, has spent 25 years rafting rivers in four different countries, logging an impressive 100,000 river miles. [Disclosure: Wolfe’s partner, Janneli F. Miller, contributes articles … Continue reading
Published in November 2013
Tagged dolores river
Boaters mull a plan to aid native fish on the Dolores
Boaters on the Dolores River below McPhee Dam are being asked to concede some of their whitewater flows towards improving habitat for a declining native-fish population. And they seem to be in a sharing mood. Since the Dolores River was … Continue reading
Published in February 2012
Tagged dolores river
What kind of rafting season can boaters expect?
A short whitewater rafting release is “probable” for the lower Dolores River canyon this month, according to water officials. Beginning May 20, the Dolores Water Conservancy District expects to release 800 cfs from McPhee Dam into the lower canyon for … Continue reading
Published in May 2011
Tagged dolores river, rafting