The Boulder Sheriff’s Office will not be instating closures to Boulder Creek at this time in the wake of the drowning of a 9-year-old boy on Sunday.
At 4:52 p.m. Sunday, dispatchers received a report that a child had fallen out of his tube in Boulder Creek and was missing, according to a release issued by Boulder police.
At about 5 p.m., first responders saw the child and pulled him from the creek near Broadway and Canyon Boulevard. CPR was administered before transporting the boy to Boulder Community Health’s Foothills Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:41 p.m.
According to Carrie Haverfield, spokesperson for the Boulder Sheriff’s Office, the department’s policy regarding Boulder Creek is to only enact a tubing restriction when water levels have a sustained cubic feet per second level of 700 or above.
“We look for sustained numbers, as typically you see fluctuations after rainstorms or in the overnight hours during spring run-off as the CFS numbers increase and decrease. We are constantly monitoring the water levels and will enact restrictions if we meet our pre-established threshold,” Haverfield said in an email.
At 8 a.m. Thursday, Boulder Sheriff Curtis Johnson instated a closure of the North St. Vrain Creek and St. Vrain River to tubing and single chamber flotation devices in the interest of public safety after consulting with the Town of Lyons and the Lyons Fire Protection District.
According to a release, the closure encompasses the North St. Vrain Creek and St. Vrain River from Apple Valley Road to North Foothills Highway. Sheriff’s deputies have posted notices advising recreationists of the closure.
Additionally, the Longmont Parks and Natural Resources Department on Wednesday announced the voluntary temporary recreational closure of the St. Vrain River from Izaak Walton Park to the 119th Street Trailhead. Parks staff stated the department is waiting until flows are below 400 CFS along the St. Vrain in Hygiene, adding that typically the St. Vrain stays above 400 CFS for two to three weeks.
The Boulder Sheriff’s Office is advising that when utilizing personal water sport equipment, it’s best to put names and contact information on the equipment in the event that it becomes lost in the water. That way the authorities can then make contact to ensure everyone safely exited the water.
The sheriff’s office is also recommending recreating with other people and letting others know exact locations and expected return times.
Proper personal safety equipment should be utilized during recreational activities in water. Safety equipment includes personal flotation device or life jacket, drysuit or wetsuit and helmet.
To stay up to date on current stream gage information, visit dwr.state.co.us/tools/stations.
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