Boulder Creek Closed To Tubing After Body Pulled From Water
BOULDER, Colo. (AP/CBS4) - Boulder Creek is closed to tubing and swimming because of high, swift water from recent rain and the spring melt off.
Tuesday's decision to ban the use of inner tubes and air mattresses came a day after the body of a 42-year-old man was pulled from the creek. Authorities haven't said yet whether the body is that of a fisherman missing since Sunday.
Kayaks and canoes are still allowed in the creek but the Boulder County Sheriff's Office warns that only experienced boaters should be in the water now. It's also warning anglers to stay on the shore.
"The length of time that the river is going to be closed will be very dependent on how much rain we get, how more of the snowmelt," Cmdr. Heidi Prentup with the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said.
Prentup said the closure was prompted in part because of the recent death, although the rate of flow is expected to reach the point where it's typically closed anyway this week.
"When people go missing -- that not knowing what's going on -- it's devastating," Prentup said. "It's really hard on families."
On Monday the sheriff's office was worried a couple of kayakers had fallen in after finding two abandoned and overturned kayaks. It turned out to be a false alarm but Prentup says it highlights why it is law for owners to put their names and addresses on kayaks and canoes.
Boulder has seen more than 9 inches of rain since the beginning of May.
Signs will go up along the creek announcing the closure Wednesday morning. Violators face a $100 fine.
The move also follows the recent deaths of two rafters in the Poudre and Arkansas rivers and the disappearance of a tuber in Boulder Creek last month.
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