The Dolores Water Conservancy District, San Juan National Forest and Doc’s Marina teamed up to remove thousands of old tires and metal cables from McPhee Reservoir at the main boat ramp.
The tires and cabling were part of an old breakwater and marina that burned and sank more than 20 years ago, said San Juan Forest Recreation Planner Tom Rice.
The cleanup was made possible in November because of the historic low level of the 380,000-acre-foot lake brought on by persistent drought.
As the water continued to recede, more and more tires, cabling and rebar became exposed. The situation caused a public safety hazard and was getting in the way of boats and marina operations.
After the marina and boat ramp closed for the season, more than 2,500 tires were pulled from exposed lake bottom over several days and hauled to the Montezuma County Landfill. Metal cabling and rebar were taken to Belt’s Salvage for recycling.
The approximately $45,000 project was a cost-sharing project in which DWCD paid 75%; and the national forest, 25%, Rice said.
“We had a heavy excavator, dump trucks, welders and grinders and a crew of 10 working for a week to haul it out of there,” Rice said.
About 1,000 tires and cabling are being removed in time for the opening of the marina April 16.
Thousands of tires from the old marina operation are still in the reservoir, Rice said, but their location in mud farther out makes them impractical to try and retrieve at this point.
The debris does not cause a water pollution problem, but was a hazard for boats and an eyesore, Rice said. The salvage operation was conducted to avoid archaeological sites.
McPhee boat ramp and Doc’s Marina will open April 16
Operational hours for the McPhee boat ramp are April 16-30 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; May 1-Sept. 19 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sept. 20-Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. All motorized and trailered boats must go through boat inspection for aquatic nuisance species.
The House Creek boat ramp at McPhee Reservoir will run May 1 until Oct. 2. The ramp is open Friday through Monday 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fishing boats, pontoons, kayaks, wake boats, ski boats and stand up boards are available to rent. Call 970-560-4801 to reserve rentals.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
