BOULDER, Colo. — The City of Boulder confirmed that in just the past two weeks, there have been five rescues on Boulder Creek, three of which were in the past couple of days.
Despite those reports and overall general concerns about the high water levels of Boulder Creek, it's still open for tubing and other sports.
The Boulder County sheriff told the Boulder Daily Camera water levels aren't high enough for a mandatory closure.
Our partners at The Denver Post report, the Boulder Sheriff’s Office's policy is to only enact a tubing restriction on Boulder Creek 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,” Carrie Haverfield, a sheriff's office spokesperson, said in an email to the Denver Post.
Four days ago, a woman was pulled from the creek. When first responders received the call that someone needed rescuing, Boulder Fire-Rescue tweeted, they had to search different spots along the bank until they saw bystanders who worked with first responders to pull the adult woman out of the water. They administered first aid before rushing her to the hospital in critical condition.
At approximately 3:30pm today BFR & and @boulderpolice received a call for a water rescue in the creek. Numerous first responders searched different locations along the bank until they saw bystanders who worked with first responders to pull the adult woman out of the water 1/2 pic.twitter.com/3eZ4UZ18XA
— Boulder Fire-Rescue (@boulder_fire) June 15, 2023
Three days before that, a 9-year-old boy died after falling off his tube in the creek. First responders were able to find and pull him from the creek and administer CPR before taking him to Boulder Community Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Some people who live in Boulder took to Facebook to plead visitors to not go in Boulder Creek for a bit.
The City of Boulder urge the public to be careful when tubing or participating in other sports in and around open water, especially during this run-off season when waters are high and fast. Other authorities also warn about the dangers of local waterways, including the Clear Creek.
In Jefferson County, Clear Creek is closed to swimming and tubing because leaders there said it's just too dangerous.
