A young woman drowned while rowing on the Colorado River on Sunday, just east of Corn Lake.
According to a statement from the Mesa County Coroner’s Office, the 17-year-old woman was wearing a life jacket during the incident. However, the vest “appeared not to be fastened properly and fell off during the incident.”
The Clifton Fire Protection District and the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident. Clifton Fire Chief Brian Cherveny said they used a rescue boat since the woman was on the south side of the river between 32 and 32½ Road.
Cherveny said he would not speculate on what went wrong to cause Sunday’s drowning, but warned against using an ankle strap with a paddleboard on the river.
“Being tied to a paddleboard is probably the worst thing you can do on the river,” Cherveny said.
Palisade Cycle and Shuttle owner Rondo Buecheler said his shop suspended paddleboard and tube rentals before last weekend because of high tide. The United States Geological Survey reported river flows of 10,700 cubic feet per second (cfs) over Palisade.
“We don’t think it’s worth the responsibility and tragedy for someone who doesn’t have the experience to deal with high, fast, cold water on a paddleboard or tube,” Buecheler said. “We’ll make a ducky (inflatable kayak) if it’s a customer we know has high-water experience.”
Buecheler, who has 40 years of experience as a river guide, said the speed of the river, cold water temperatures and high water levels contribute to making river recreation more dangerous this time of year.
“Here the river in the valley, when it reaches those 9,000 or 10,000 (cfs), the water passes the bank,” Buecheler said. “It’s basically in the bushes on the sides, which are Russian olive trees and tamarisks. “So if someone has a problem, they won’t be able to easily get to shore.”
Ankle straps are something your store doesn’t put on the paddleboards they rent. He said they check all safety equipment, including a life jacket that must be worn by the customer, when renting the equipment.
“When someone rents from us, we check the equipment,” Buecheler said. “Let’s say a paddle board, we only rent paddle boards with waist straps with quick releases. You are never, ever supposed to wear an ankle leash in a river or any type of moving water. Ankle straps are only for lakes and oceans.”
The reason ankle straps and tethers without quick releases are dangerous is that they can get tangled with something in the river and keep the person wearing them underwater even if they are wearing a life jacket, Cherveny said.
Mesa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Josh Quigley said due to river conditions, only experienced people should recreate on the river until the flow subsides.
“At the current high flow, it should only be more experienced people,” Quigley said. “They need to have a life jacket on. Not only in his job, but also in his person. “They have to have some concept of self-rescue, of how to swim to shore.”
Quigley said self-rescue is important because it can be difficult to get lifeguards to where people need help on the river.
“The guys who operate the boats, like me, cover the entire county,” Quigley said. “We had an incident yesterday (Monday) and I was coming from Grand Mesa to get to the boat. We can’t be everywhere at the same time. “People on the river need to realize that help may be very far away and they have to rely on themselves to rescue themselves and then wait on the shore until we arrive.”
Having the ability to communicate, wearing a life jacket, knowing how to self-rescue, using the proper equipment and knowing river conditions are key, Quigley said. He also warned boaters to have a plan to get out of the water well before sunset, when rescues become more difficult and dangerous.
Buecheler said river recreation is about having fun and high tide is a lot of fun for people who have experience on the river. However, he said people with less experience should look at other options for accessing water besides the river at this time.
“We just feel that when the water is over 10,000 (cfs) in the valley, unless you have the right equipment, the knowledge to use it, you’re not doing anything that impairs your ability to make rational decisions quickly, that you shouldn’t be. here,” Buecheler said.
“Go to Highline Lake. Get on the table. Go anywhere other than the river. “At this level, without the right equipment, experience and capability, it is not safe for most people.”
Last week, Cherveny and the Clifton Fire District announced the department added new equipment, including the $100,000 rescue boat.
At a news conference, Cherveny said the new rescue boat would help improve the district’s water rescue capacity. At the time, she also said the department was preparing for a possible busy time on the Colorado River this year.
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