Caution urged along river

With Flaming Gorge Days approaching and the levels of the Green River nearing the top of the banks, city officers are asking residents and visitors to take extra care when near the river.

According to United States Bureau of Reclamation's website http://www.usbr.gov, a total of 6,400 cfs is being released from the Fontenelle Reservoir and traveling downstream through Green River. A press release states the reservoir is at an elevation of 6,498 feet, which is 82 percent of live storage capacity. Inflows for the month of May totaled 167,000 acre feet, or 99 percent of average. Releases are currently ramping up to pass on the high inflows seen over the past week and residents should expect flows near 6,400 cfs to continue through the majority of June.

Green River Police Chief Tom Jarvie said the best thing for residents to do when the river is this high is to stay away from it.

He said when the river is to the point where it is swelling up on the banks, extra caution should be used. It makes ground around the bank soft. Another safety concern is how fast the river is going. Looking at the river, it can appear as though it's moving slowly, but it's not.

It's swift and if emergency responders were called to assist someone in help, it may be too late to help even with a fast response time, Jarvie said.

Undertows also cause problems when the river's like this. Jarvie said even though the river has been much higher than it is now, residents must still exercise caution when near it.

"Anytime they are around the water, whether in it or not ,they should have a life jacket," GRPD officer Jamie Green said.

As for reports of teens jumping off of the driving bridge and into the river, Jarvie had a few words of caution for them.

"It's very dangerous," he said. "They are not only putting themselves at risk, but those who may have to rescue them."

Jarvie will continue to watch the water release levels from Fontenelle Reservoir, but anticipates a decrease in the near future. His assumption was right. On Tuesday morning, the Bureau of Reclamation announced it would start tapering off its release starting today.

Those who would like to look at the water release information can visit the website http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Seedskadee/alert.html.