The City of Steamboat Springs Parks & Community Services Department will be conducting river work within the Yampa River, beginning on Friday, December 4th, 2015.
The City and Friends of the Yampa (FOY) have collaborated to execute bank stabilization, riparian habitat restoration and river improvements on two whitewater features within the Yampa River. FOY has received grant funding from the Colorado Water Conservancy board’s water supply reserve account through the Yampa White Green Basin Round Table to help with these improvements. FOY has contracted with Recreation Engineering Planning and Nordic Excavating to execute the work on City property.
The work on the two (2) whitewater features includes:
• Ambulance Hole (aka “A Hole” behind the Ambulance Barn on 9th Street)
• Toots Hole (located near Little Toots Park at 11th Street)
The overall project intent is to improve the structures’ original purpose of in-stream recreational enhancement, improve public safety and in-stream habitat by modifying the existing in stream structures, stabilizing stream banks, improving access and creating low flow meanders and pools.
The planned river improvements were identified in the 2008 Yampa River Structural Master Plan, a document produced through a collaborative public process with Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Friends of the Yampa, local commercial river companies, the general public, Parks and Recreation Commission and ultimately adopted by City Council. The planned river work has been reviewed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Army Corps of Engineers, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the City of Steamboat Springs Planning Services Department. All permits have been obtained to proceed with this project.
The work is estimated to take approximately three (3) weeks and periodic closures on the Yampa River Core Trail may occur as work is executed.