{"id":2443324,"date":"2019-04-23T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/robinson-ditch-section-on-roaring-fork-river-gets-new-opening-for-rafts-boats\/"},"modified":"2019-04-23T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T22:00:00","slug":"robinson-ditch-section-on-roaring-fork-river-gets-new-opening-for-rafts-boats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/robinson-ditch-section-on-roaring-fork-river-gets-new-opening-for-rafts-boats\/","title":{"rendered":"Robinson Ditch section on Roaring Fork River gets new opening for rafts, boats"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.7064516129032\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-304572-699\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/04\/robinson-atd-042419-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/04\/robinson-atd-042419-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Brent Gardner-Smith \/ Aspen Journalism | The rocks across the Roaring Fork River in Basalt as part of the Robinson Ditch diversion structure, on April 6, 2019. This was the result after repairs to the diversion structure in late March, but before an adjustment on April 15.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"8.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/04\/robinson-atd-042419-1.jpg\" alt=\"The rocks across the Roaring Fork River in Basalt as part of the Robinson Ditch diversion structure, on April 6, 2019. This was the result after repairs to the diversion structure in late March, but before an adjustment on April 15.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>The rocks across the Roaring Fork River in Basalt as part of the Robinson Ditch diversion structure, on April 6, 2019. This was the result after repairs to the diversion structure in late March, but before an adjustment on April 15.<\/strong><br \/>Brent Gardner-Smith \/ Aspen Journalism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/04\/robinson-atd-042419-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/04\/robinson-atd-042419-1-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Brent Gardner-Smith \/ Aspen Journalism | The obvious boat passage in the rocks in the Roaring Fork River in Basalt that make up the Robinson Ditch, after work was done on April 15 to create a better route for rafts and other craft in the diversion structure. It's the cleanest path though the river-wide structure in years.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"8\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/04\/robinson-atd-042419-1-1.jpg\" alt=\"The obvious boat passage in the rocks in the Roaring Fork River in Basalt that make up the Robinson Ditch, after work was done on April 15 to create a better route for rafts and other craft in the diversion structure. It's the cleanest path though the river-wide structure in years.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"11\">\n<p><strong>The obvious boat passage in the rocks in the Roaring Fork River in Basalt that make up the Robinson Ditch, after work was done on April 15 to create a better route for rafts and other craft in the diversion structure. It&#8217;s the cleanest path though the river-wide structure in years.<\/strong><br \/>Brent Gardner-Smith \/ Aspen Journalism<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/robinson-ditch-section-on-roaring-fork-river-gets-new-opening-for-rafts-boats\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/robinson-ditch-section-on-roaring-fork-river-gets-new-opening-for-rafts-boats\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The big rocks that form the Robinson Ditch diversion structure in the Roaring Fork River near Basalt were moved around on April 15 by the ditch company to create a welcome gap \u2014 middle river left \u2014 that appears big enough for recreational boaters to float through with relative ease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The result is what appears to be the cleanest, and most obvious, low-water path through the diversion structure in years, although expected high water this spring could still move some of the rocks and create unforeseen challenges.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The work done on April 15 was in response to concerns raised after the ditch company had used an excavator to go in the river on March 25 to repair damage to the structure from an ice floe this winter. In repairing the structure, boat passage was not considered, and the resultant, nearly solid line of rocks presented a daunting prospect for boaters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Now, the rocks have been rearranged again, and instead of a dicey sneak on river right \u2014 as there was before the repair \u2014 there is a wide passage toward river left.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The new passage is river right of a large debris pile of logs and sticks that juts out from the left bank of the river. And the passage is river left of a line of big boulders that still stretch to the right bank. The passage is also now more or less in line with the main flow of the current in the river at that spot, which is helpful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe tried to do the right thing,\u201d said Bill Reynolds, the director of the Robinson Ditch Co. and the Mid Valley Metropolitan District. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to make sure we have access for all the users. The Robinson Ditch is trying to be a good community member.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Work done in the river with heavy machinery to repair existing irrigation diversion structures is usually exempt, under national regulations, from having to obtain a permit to work in the river.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Robinson Ditch diversion structure, called Anderson Falls by raft guides at Blazing Adventures, is downstream of the tall Colorado 82 bridge that spans the river between Old Town Basalt and Willits. And it\u2019s upstream of the Hooks Lane bridge and the boat ramp near the FedEx facility on Willits Lane.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The boulders placed in the river are to help raise the level of the riverbed, in order to send water down a side channel on river right toward the Robinson Ditch headgate. That channel, sometimes used in the past by boaters as a way around the diversion structure, is no longer navigable at low flows \u2014 and probably even high flows \u2014 because the rocks at the end are bigger and taller than they used to be.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The line of rocks across the river at Anderson Falls have long presented a tricky obstacle for rafters, anglers in drift boats, or dories, and even those paddling inflatable kayaks, or duckies, and especially at low water.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Vince Nichols, the owner of Blazing Adventures, which runs both raft and duckie trips down the stretch, has seen the new gap in the rocks, and he\u2019s pleased with how things have worked out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt looks a heck of a lot better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Nichols said he contacted Reynolds at the ditch company after seeing photos in the newspaper of the rocks in the river after the March 25 repair job and told him that the new rock configuration had created a real hazard for boaters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHe was pretty receptive and a nice guy,\u201d Nichols said of Reynolds. \u201cHe was willing to help us out and work with us. Then he called me up last week and said, \u2018Check it out, I moved some rocks around.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At first, Nichols was just expecting the right-side sneak to be re-established, but now the obvious gap is toward the left side of the river.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt looks great,\u201d said Nichols, adding he was \u201ccautiously optimistic\u201d that high water won\u2019t create havoc with the rocks still in the river.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Reynolds was also looking to see what high water brings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe have to see how the river is going to react, and we have to make sure we can get water into the ditch, so it\u2019s one step at a time,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cThere might be a time when we have to go back into the river, and put a few rocks back in place. We\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Even if the fix holds through high water, it may still be temporary, because Pitkin County is working on an $800,000 project to make a definitive fix to the Robinson Ditch diversion-structure situation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The county is intent on securing a variety of state and local grants to pay for the project, but it still has about $370,000 left to go and the work may not occur until 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Once the money is in hand, the county plans to build a smaller diversion structure upstream of the current structure and then build a second small structure where the big rocks are today. And both of the new lower structures will be built with boat passage in mind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen Journalism covers rivers and water with The Aspen Times and other Swift Communications newspapers. More at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aspenjournalism.org\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.aspenjournalism.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/robinson-ditch-section-on-roaring-fork-river-gets-new-opening-for-rafts-boats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The rocks across the Roaring Fork River in Basalt as part of the Robinson Ditch diversion structure, on April 6, 2019. This was the result after repairs to the diversion structure in late March, but before an adjustment on April 15.Brent Gardner-Smith \/ Aspen Journalism The obvious boat passage in the rocks in the Roaring [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2443324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-17 05:21:44","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2443324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2443324\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2443324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2443324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2443324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}