Three rescues and a death in two weeks at the Cascade Creek waterfalls near U.S. Highway 550 have highlighted the danger of jumping the falls, especially in the high water that has resulted from construction and a wet winter.
“It is not a safe activity ... What’s transpired in just the last couple of weeks graphically demonstrates that,” said Dan Bender, La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
But it is common for some seeking an adrenaline rush to walk along the creek bed and jump about five falls into the deep pools below.
This year, high flows later in the season are catching some by surprise, said Ron Corkish, president of the La Plata County Search and Rescue.
But once jumpers start down, they have to keep going through the series of falls or be rescued because steep and slick rock walls rise on either side of the creek.
Since June 27, six people have been rescued from the falls and another, Haley Clarke, 19, of Bayfield, drowned Sunday.
Crews rescue three to six people from the falls each year, and the rescue workers have predetermined anchor points to use during the rope rescues because many of them tend to get stuck in the same place, Corkish said.
However, he estimates flows in the creek are twice as high as they have been in years past during this time of year.
Normally, water is diverted above the falls by a flume that was created to take water to Electra Lake and the hydroelectric Tacoma Power Plant run by Xcel Energy.
This summer, water is staying in the creek because crews are replacing pieces of an underground pipeline below the flume, said Mark Stutz, a spokesman for Xcel.
The pipeline is 5 feet across, and it runs for about 1.1 miles and a section passes through Purgatory Resort, which uses the water to make snow in the winter. The pipe needed to be rebuilt because it was leaking, said Gary Derck, CEO of the resort.
The project may be finished in the fall, Stutz said.
The additional water is creating raging flows at a time when most people expect more mild conditions, Corkish said.
Drought in previous years also kept flows lower in the creek, Bender said.
If jumpers make it through the canyon, they are also going to run into boulders and a log jam that could cause serious injury, he said.
Those who come to the falls can’t see the conditions they will face as they head down, said Patt Yeager Emmett, who grew up in the area.
“You can get a surprising amount of buildup coming through that canyon,” she said of the water.
Some people on social media have suggested putting up signs to warn people about the high flows for public safety. However, the area is privately owned by six companies, all associated with Cascade Village, according to property records held by the San Juan County Assessor’s Office.
Calls to a property owner were not immediately returned.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
