If you’ve passed by the Roaring Fork River in Aspen today, you may have noticed the water is a brown-orange color.
In an alert sent through the county’s emergency notification system, Pitkin County Environmental Health officials said that’s mainly due to the planned drawdown of water in the Grizzly Reservoir.
The drawdown involves moving sediment as well as dewatering, to prepare the reservoir for further improvements. The next phase of work on the reservoir, planned to begin this month, involves installing new lining to improve the reservoir’s integrity and functionality. In August, crews will begin improvement to the reservoir’s outlets.
Officials say because there’s less water, sediment will stay suspended in the water for longer periods without new flows to flush it out, and the water in the Roaring Fork River and Lincoln Creek will be muddy and discolored for the next couple of days.
Pitkin County Environmental Health officials are advising folks recreating on the river to be extra careful and avoid ingesting any water, and people should keep their pets out of the river, for now.
Pitkin County had anticipated that there may be extra sediment during the work on Grizzly Creek, and has planned additional water sampling. Officials will provide updates as testing data becomes available.
