Tubing Ban; and safety/parks report from Lyons Police Chief Crisp
Sheriff’s report at Board of Trustees Meeting 6/7/21
Sergeant Bill Crist (the Sheriff’s Office Administrative Lyons Police Chief)
(these are paraphrased or condensed notes from the meeting)
Attendance at the LaVern Johnson Park this weekend: 629 people in parks Friday /930 Saturday / 867 Sunday
Normal rotation of officers getting set up. I am tasked with working on a Parks plan for Marissa (Parks & Recreation).
We’ve had a tough year, 2020, and are happy for the support of the town, and want to thank them.
Water levels of the rivers – topped out at our normal rate of 1,000 PSI. Now at 1050 to 1100. The police staff have had training and have equipment and are ready for this kind of emergency stuff. We have gained two deputies that will be going on day-patrol. We have two who will be graduating; and still have another 8 to 10 in some level in our training program. Since the recent crunch, we have had open enrollment, and it’s getting the staffing levels up. The draw back is, we are trying to get deputies to sign up for extra duties, eg, Saturdays, Sundays. etc. but they have mandatory overtime already elsewhere. We will have more in the summer and another six in September.
Ralph Price has been releasing some water in preparation for the next couple of weeks. Historically, and based on the weather patterns they see, they expect that the high mark will occur sometime around June 12th and then fall off from there. Usually, it is 1400=1550 PSI high this time of year. The ban may expand to the 20th; we don’t want to go in and out of bans. The ban starts at Apple Valley and County Road 71.
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1 inch of water column = 0.03613 PSI (27.678 inches of water column = 1 PSI
Current Conditions for Colorado Rivers: Streamflow — 350 sites listed
Tubing Ban
Tubing Ban Enacted for North Saint Vrain and Saint Vrain Creek through Town of Lyons
Boulder County, Colo. -Sheriff Joe Pelle, in consultation with Victoria Simonsen, the Lyons Town Administrator, Sergeant Bill Crist (the Sheriff’s Office Administrative Lyons Police Chief) and Lyons Fire Chief Peter Zick, has concluded that, in the interest of public safety, The North Saint Vrain and Saint Vrain Creek will be closed to tubing and single chamber flotation devices for the immediate future.
The closure will take effect on June 9, 2021 at 4:00 p.m., and will go through June 25, 2021 at 12 p.m. The closure encompasses The North Saint Vrain and Saint Vrain Creeks from Apple Valley Road/ County Road 71 (upper Apple Valley Road) to North Foothills Highway including through the Town of Lyons. Sheriff’s deputies will be posting notices tomorrow morning 6/9/21, advising recreationists of the closure.
The Sheriff and/or Police Chief is authorized to order a Partial Use Restriction prohibiting the use of single-chambered air-inflated devices on any waters of the state when such operations constitutes or may constitute a hazard to life or safety. The closure includes watercraft such as single chamber rafts, single chamber belly boats, and inner tubes from floating the creek. There is a specific exemption for kayaks and white-water canoes, which are permitted; nonetheless kayakers are strongly encouraged to observe caution.
The Sheriff and Chief have determined that this Partial Use Restriction shall be ordered due to the significant rainfall and spring runoff experienced by the County in recent days and weeks causing the St. Vrain River flow to reach approximately 1200 CFS and the recent amount of related water rescues. Any person who fails to obey an order issued under this section, may be guilty of a class two petty offense and subject to a fine of up to $50.00
……………..Boulder Sherriff’s Office 6/8/21
