<\/p>\n
The Animas River has received a barrage of incidents over the past week, but Durango\u2019s rafting industry remains undeterred.<\/p>\n
The biggest problem the rafting industry faces isn\u2019t the incidents themselves \u2013 which include mudslides to the north and sewage spills to the south \u2013 but the perception that the river is unusable despite the opposite being true.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really a perception problem that we\u2019ve been dealing with all summer,\u201d said David Moler, owner of Durango Rivertrippers and Adventure Tours. \u201cIf the perception is that the river is contaminated, well then the river is contaminated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mudslides that occurred last Tuesday turned the Animas River into a murky brownish river filled with debris. However, discolorization is a normal indicator of higher water levels, which the river has desperately needed this summer. When runoff from the snow pack reaches the river, it changes color, Moler said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of our clients don\u2019t expect to raft on crystal-clear water,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you are rafting on crystal-clear water, that\u2019s a good indicator that the river is pretty low.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moler said his company has seen cancellations tied to the flooding, but not because customers are afraid of the chocolate-colored river. Most cancellations have occurred because the area where they were staying got evacuated, or their scheduled ride on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was canceled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe discolorization of the river actually hasn\u2019t impacted us in that sense as much as the mudslides themselves have,\u201d Moler said.<\/p>\n
Flexible Flyers Rafting, a local rafting company, hasn\u2019t seen unusual changes in rafting cancellations and has had no internal discussions about canceling rafting trips, owner Erik Jorgensen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as there is not huge debris going by, then there\u2019s no canceling that\u2019s going to be happening,\u201d Jorgensen said. \u201cThe rafting is just fine and secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the company has been attempting to persuade potential customers interested in inflatable kayaks or tubing to raft instead due to the debris.<\/p>\n
If debris flows are heavier, the company won\u2019t allow tubers or inflatable kayaks go at all. They stopped using inner tubes and kayaks a couple days after the initial floods on July 17.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe water was sludge basically,\u201d Jorgensen said. \u201cIt would have been uncomfortable. There was too much debris in the water to have people literally sitting in the water, whereas when they\u2019re in the raft they\u2019re in a much safer position.\u201d<\/p>\n
The north side of the Animas River near Oxbow Park and Preserve has been stopping a lot of the debris and trees that have come down the river from the 416 burn scar, Jorgensen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not having too many problems with wood or anything of that nature coming down into the water and ruining it.\u201d<\/p>\n
During raft trips, it\u2019s common for rafting guides to allow rafters to jump in the river during slow sections. Since the floods, the company has discouraged this and most customers aren\u2019t willing too, Jorgensen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re doing everything we can to make sure people are comfortable and safe,\u201d he said. \u201cWe won\u2019t let anybody go if we feel that it is of consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rafting companies faced another issue Friday when an overflowing sewage line spilled into the Animas River near Santa Rita Park. Despite the leak, rafting companies weren\u2019t severely affected.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing is that the contamination is below where we take out at so it didn\u2019t affect our primary run in the Animas River,\u201d Moler said.<\/p>\n
The city maintained fluid communication with the rafting companies regarding the status of the river regarding the spillage, Moler said. The city told rafting companies not to continue past Santa Rita Park and advised them to take out at the river access point at Ninth Street bridge.<\/p>\n
Moler notified his clients that the water wouldn\u2019t affect the routes and it was still safe to raft. He continued to take out at Santa Rita Park.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you run a restaurant, and the restaurant three doors down from you is closed, does that mean you close?\u201d Moler said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of the mentality we have. It\u2019s below where we take out at. Why would we stop?\u201d<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the city instructed rafting companies to take out farther south at Cundiff Park. The city was concerned of the safety concerns of having large buses and trailers parking on the shoulder of the road with one-lane traffic, city spokesman Mitchell Carter said.<\/p>\n
The industry has had a difficult summer but the rafting companies haven\u2019t dealt with anything they haven\u2019t seen before.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe run on a natural, free-flowing river,\u201d Moler said. \u201cWe depend on Mother Nature a lot of the time. We\u2019re pretty resilient as an industry provided that the perception doesn\u2019t get changed.\u201d<\/p>\n