JEFFERSON COUNTY — Colten Lockwood just discovered fishing in the Waterton Canyon stream this year after his usual spots in Clear Creek and Bear Creek were having runoff problems.
He and a friend rode their bikes through the canyon along the trail last week about 3 miles to an ideal spot to fish.
“I like it better. The water is generally higher and they stock this one frequently,” Lockwood said.
Recreation has increased considerably in Waterton Canyon since it reopened in 2012 after a dredging project at Strontia Springs Reservoir that saw recreation activities cease for 19 months. The canyon is in Jefferson County, south of Chatfield Reservoir, and is managed by Denver Water.
According to Denver Water recreation manager Brandon Ransom, the canyon saw approximately 100,000 people go through last year, compared to an average of 70,000 the few years before the dredging. The canyon was closed from August 2010 until March 1, 2012, and opened for recreational use originally in the 1990s.
“It really, for whatever reason, got much more popular the last couple years,” Ransom said. “We’ve seen our numbers really spike.”
Not much else has changed in the 7-mile canyon since the reservoir was dredged to remove about 625,000 cubic feet of sediment, which accumulated from rainstorms after wildfires in the area.
Ransom said the canyon always has been a great destination for bike riding, fishing and hikes. He guesses that since Colorado Parks and Wildlife regularly stocks the streams with fish, local fisherman were eager to get out and catch the population that had built up over 19 months.
Even now, Ransom said fisherman do a good job of knowing when the stream will be stocked and it is fairly busy the days after a stock.
The Strontia Springs Reservoir is difficult to access for the average hiker. Most users go in about 3 miles, nearly halfway through the canyon, and then head back. Those who hike for the day and go up near the dam will be exposed to a variety of wildlife including bighorn sheep, black bears deer and maybe a mountain lion.
The only recent addition is a handicapped fishing area, which brings a short pier out near the stream nearly a mile into the start of the trail.
“The cool thing about Waterton Canyon is you see a good mix of recreation going on,” Ransom said.
On the water supply side, the reservoir is an important artery for Denver Water and is one of the key supply areas for the Denver metro area. The dredging was a necessary part of managing the reservoir. The dam was built in 1983.
“From my perspective, not much changed,” said Bob Lindgren, superintendent of source of supply for Denver Water. “It’s something we have to do at all of our reservoirs after we experience forest fires and things of that nature. We have to make sure we keep our facilities up to snuff and make sure that we are capturing the amount of water we need to and the providing the quality of water as well.”
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or twitter.com/joe_vacc