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Another Colorado River Closed To Boating Due To High Water

SILVERTHORNE, Colo. (CBS4) - Signs went up Wednesday warning boaters to stay off a section of the Blue River in Summit County due to high water dangers.

Police say the boating ban is from the Dillon Dam to the 6th Street bridge and will be in place until water levels drop.

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The Blue River (credit: CBS)

Mountain snow runoff is near peak conditions with warm weather expected through the weekend, so Denver Water, which operates Dillon Dam, is currently releasing about 1,700 cubic feet per second to make room in the lake for more of that snow runoff this weekend.

Other mountain creeks that feed into the Blue River are also running high and expected to continue to rise.

Silverthorne Police Chief Mark Hanschmidt says the real concern is that boaters will get stuck under two low bridges. The distance between the bottom of the bridge and the water surface is currently about 3 feet.

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The Blue River (credit: CBS)

"We realize there is a big risk someone in a boat could get stuck up under this bridge and we just don't want to take those chances," Hanschmidt told CBS4 Thursday.

Those caught in the closed section of the river could face a ticket and fine from Silverthorne police.

Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.

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