Section of Gunnison River remains closed

Gunnison County Sheriff Rick Besecker reported early Monday, June 19 that a section of the Gunnison River between Almont and County Road 10 remains closed. Besecker previously closed the river from Almont to North Bridge, just north of Gunnison city limits, on June 7.

Besecker indicated Monday that although it is anticipated that peak runoff has been realized on the Gunnison River, the East River is seeing high flows due to a late runoff and extreme snow depths in the high country. Additionally, Taylor Reservoir was releasing 1,030 cubic feet per second (cfs) as of Monday morning, and it is anticipated that this number will go even higher. 

As a result, the Gunnison River is well over 4,000 cfs —well above the level to safely travel under a bridge located between Almont and County Road 10, according to Besecker.

"May I remind folks that both banks of the river at the County Road 10 bridge are privately owned and that I have no authority to grant or deny access to or from the Gunnison River at that juncture," he said. "Anyone that does put in or take out at that location must have permission from the landowners."