Access to River Park at Las Colonias Modified Due to Low Colorado River Levels

On July 7, t he City of Grand Junction will modify access to the River Park at Las Colonias due to low water levels in the Colorado River. Large sandbags will be placed at the entrance of the River Park near the boat ramp at Las Colonias to guide the water flow towards the primary river channel. This helps safeguard four endangered fish species until water levels increase as the Colorado River water levels have been dropping steadily over the past month.

The River Park remains open during regular park hours, but the experience differs from when the channel has higher flows. Residents can still access and enjoy the water including the beach areas into the fall; however, sandbags will remain in place.

According to requirements of the River Park's federal permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, any time the Colorado River flows below 810 cubic feet per second (cfs), the River Park channel must be cut off from the main channel of the Colorado River to protect critical habitat for wildlife. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and the Wildlife Service authorized the city to construct the River Park channel and the permit was contingent on restricting water from flowing into the River Park channel when levels are below 810 cfs.

The $1.2 million river park project was funded by grants from Great Outdoors Colorado and the Colorado Water Conservation Board as well as the City of Grand Junction, Colorado Basin Roundtable, Downtown Grand Junction, and One Riverfront. The project also was made possible through partnerships with Bonsai, Colorado Mesa University, and the U. S. Department of Energy.