Colorado House Majority leader and District 13 representative, KC Becker, visited Hot Sulphur Springs last Thursday to view first hand the effects of the erosion along the bank of the Colorado River that threatens Park Street in the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs and Highway 40 through the canyon. The lack of rockfall mitigation in the canyon was also address in the tour by Commissioner Kris Manguso. Joining KC Becker and Commissioner Manguso were representatives from the Hot Sulphur Town Council, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and town employees.
The Grand Gazette originally covered the story of the erosion in the March 23 edition, and the concerns for the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs have not lessened. According to Hot Sulphur Springs mayor, Bob McVay, the sheer height of the bank prevents the town from effectively mitigating the erosion and stabilizing the bank themselves, as they did along the sewer treatment plant bank. Most pressing, at this time, is finding funding to cover the cost of an engineer analysis.
Commissioner Kris Manguso explains the need for more aggressive rock
mitigation in the canyon,such as scaling and netting, to Representative KC
Becker as HSS town trustee looks on.
After viewing the Colorado River bank and the canyon itself, Becker commented, “CDOT (Colorado Department of Transportation) faces a long and growing list of transportation projects but it’s especially difficult for small towns and counties to find the money they need to address important transportation and road priorities. Having seen the erosion along Hwy 40, I’ll be pressing CDOT to help out.”
Colorado House of Representative Randy Baumgardner has also been made aware of the problem and has made a similar response to the Town of Hot Sulphur Springs.
