GOLDEN, Colo. — The City of Golden is moving forward with plans to install additional fencing and gates to portions of Clear Creek.
The City Council gave approval Tuesday night at a study session to move forward with the plan after months of dialogue about how to cut down on overcrowding along the banks of the creek during peak summer months.
According to a city spokesperson, “Staff is going to closely review locations following council and community feedback to finalize the most appropriate areas for the gates.”
The gates will be closed only during peak times on holidays, Saturdays and Sundays during tubing season, according to a city spokesperson. Closures would focus on crowd control at the busiest creek times and could be adjusted through the summer as the city learns more about the gates' effectiveness.
Elizabeth Battilla runs Adventure West tubing and said she’s in favor of recent changes the city has made to try to reduce overcrowding along the creek, including more signage and easier exit points downstream.
She said she is concerned about additional fencing and how it could impact the safety of tubers.
“Well one concern with limiting too many access points, I want to call them exits, is that when folks get into the creek, especially at higher water, and they find themselves in trouble, we need to make sure those folks can get out easily and quickly, and that rescue can get in easily,” she said.
The city is also considering a reservation system, but that would not begin until 2025 at the earliest.
Golden declined interview requests from 9NEWS on Tuesday and Wednesday but said in a statement Wednesday afternoon that "the gates are an idea in response to residents’ feedback to provide more balanced access to the creek during tubing season, better enforce code violations, and collect data to establish the safe number of people in the creek."
The statement said there are currently more than 40 ways to enter the creek, and it causes trail conflicts and difficulty creating check-in areas with safety information and rules. The city said in the statement that the gates don't obstruct views.
"Fencing in additional locations will help restore vegetation in areas that have been over-accessed in prior years and maintain the natural beauty of the creek," the statement says. "Both plans are aimed to better balance residents’ and visitors’ experience and access to the creek corridor."
All of the proposed plans for Clear Creek in Golden are available online at this link.
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