River Safety

River Safety

At ForU, we want people to enjoy the Uncompahgre River SAFELY! Here are some things to keep in mind.

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Standard Practices

DO:

• Dress accordingly. Even when the air temperature is warm, the water will be cold! Hypothermia is a risk even in the summer.
• ALWAYS wear a PFD (Personal Floatation Device) to aid you in surviving a swim in the river, but remember you must swim safely.
• Wear shoes appropriate for the river! Many tubers have ended up on the wrong side of a river when they got unexpectedly dumped. Rocks and debris and riverside foliage can be really hard on bare feet.
• Wear a helmet! Even if you’re hard-headed, a rock is harder.
• Go with friends who are experienced river runners so you can learn from them.
• Use a quality kayak/raft/SUP as cheap discount store items are inappropriate for whitewater and the challenges of the Uncompahgre.
• Respect the river – cold, moving water can challenge you in ways you can’t imagine so follow safety rules! As rapids increase in intensity and difficulty things get more complicated quickly.

DO NOT:

• Go boating, swimming or surfing on the river alone.
• Attempt to stand up or put your feet down in moving water that is more than knee-deep. Foot entrapment can occur if your foot gets lodged between rocks on the river bottom with the current pushing against your body. This can create a deadly situation quickly.
• Overestimate your ability. Going with experienced friends is helpful, but ultimately you are responsible for your own safety. Getting in water you aren’t skilled enough to handle puts you and potential rescuers in danger.
• Panic. If you find yourself taking an unexpected swim, look where you are going, point your feet downstream and lie back into your PFD as though you’re sitting in an easy chair. Keep your eyes up and look for a safe place to exit the river (such as an eddy where there is a pocket of water out of the moving stream of water) or for your friends in the boat that may be near. Hold on to your paddle if you can.
• Go near downed trees or trees with branches dipping into the river, driftwood, logs, accumulated tree branch debris and similar obstacles. These “strainers” allow water to pass through, but trap people in the debris — current pushing in and down can be deadly. If you find a tree blocking the river, please email ForU, call City Parks at 970.240.1480, or call 911 if it’s an emergency.

Equipment

A variety of boats and boards are suitable for water levels and difficulty on the Uncompahgre through Montrose. This video produced by American Whitewater provides an excellent summary of the types of river-running boats. https://www.americanwhitewater.org/explore/safety/safety-videos/

ForU discourages floating the Town Run in inner tubes. Many people have had long days when their tube was damaged or lost. Shallow areas are hard on your bum as it gets pushed/drug across rocks on the river bottom. Plastic toy innertubes sold at discount stores cannot withstand the sharp rocks and sticks along/in the river and frequently become unsightly trash that volunteers risk injury to remove.

Plastic kayaks sold at discount stores are also not recommended. They have no spray skirts to keep water from waves filling up the boat, making it heavy and very difficult to maneuver, or rescue. They have no floatation and will sink and become trash in the river, often impossible to remove.

Personal Floatation Devices (PFD’s) must be worn at all times by children 12 and younger. They must be carried by all others. ForU strongly recommends that everyone wear an appropriate, TYPE III PFD that fits properly when recreating on the Uncompahgre River.

Whistles are an inexpensive but highly valuable piece of equipment everyone should carry and have readily accessible for communicating with fellow paddlers, alerting anglers that you are approaching if they are casting and have not noticed you, and letting surfers in the Water Sports Park know that boaters are approaching to avoid collisions.

Know Before You Go

River Safety Reminders on the City of Montrose website.

Signs at the put ins at Chipeta Lake Park, Riverbottom Park and West Main trailhead show the location of the takeout at Taviwach Park. It is imperative that river users do not go beyond that point because of a very dangerous diversion a short distance downstream at Lasalle Rd. A sign upstream alerts river users of the upcoming takeout and one on an island points to its location on the right channel. The takeout eddy at the takeout is small – allow time for fellow boaters to clear the ramp before entering the narrow channel.

Children 12 years old and younger must always wear a PFD (life jacket) when on the river.  All boats and SUPs must have one PFD per person on board. Wearing PFDs, cold-water gear and helmets is highly recommended on the Uncompahgre.

Online Sources for Information

American Whitewater, a non-profit stewardship organization with funding from a US Coast Guard grant provides several series of videos that are excellent sources of information on equipment, technique, safety, and rivers you may want to explore. Check out their films on American Whitewater’s YouTube channel.

These four Whitewater Safety Training Films are a great source for learning more about whitewater boating.

Planning and Preparing

Part 2 On the Water

Part 3 Choosing your Craft

Part 4 Advanced Rescue and River Running Skills

Other Resources

Whitewatersafety.org is another organization with instructional videos. Note that they are Scottish so some of their terminology is a bit different but the short, to-the-point series is excellent. Their videos are especially helpful when paddling a river like the Uncompahgre which is rocky and shallow in many places.

Reading the river and knowing how to see and avoid rocks is a skill everyone needs to learn.

River Safety Reminders on City of Montrose website