Denver Water Pulls From Western Slope

Denver Water is cutting flows on Grand County’s Fraser River from about 4 to 2 cubic feet per second starting today. The metro area didn’t conserve enough water this summer, leaving reservoirs low.

Vasquez Creek and St. Louis Creek will also reportedly drop to 2 cfs, and Ranch Creek to 1.5 cfs. Denver Water first proposed cutting all four to 1 cfs.

Denver Water’s reservoirs were 67% full on Oct. 5, compared with a typical 90%. By midsummer, customers had cut water use by only about 2%, far short of the utility’s 20% goal.

The utility says the cuts will help it prepare for another dry year. The lower flows could harm the river’s ecosystem if the Fraser freezes this winter.

Nederland Fire Still Under Investigation

One year after fire tore through Nederland’s Caribou Village Shopping Center, the ATF says it’s in the final stages of technical review and laboratory testing.

The Oct. 9, 2025, blaze gutted the shopping center and its businesses, though no one was hurt. A week later, investigators found no credible evidence it was intentionally set.

The ATF did not give a release date for its final report, which will go first to the Nederland Fire Protection District and partner public safety agencies.

The report will become available through a federal records request once local authorities close the overall investigation. Demolition and debris removal at the site began last week.

CPW Gives Away Salmon

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has announced its 2026 kokanee salmon giveaway days, though a slow early run already canceled the Oct. 9 giveaway at Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery.

Kokanee spawn once and die within a day or two, so CPW gives the fish away after stripping their eggs. Crews collect eggs Monday through Thursday and set aside Fridays for giveaways.

Each fall, kokanee swim nearly 30 miles upstream from Blue Mesa Reservoir to the Roaring Judy hatchery in Almont, where biologists collect their eggs.

Roaring Judy giveaways run Fridays from Oct. 16 to Nov. 20, with stops in Durango and Dolores, too. Recipients need a 2026 Colorado fishing license and a cooler, and CPW urges calling ahead.

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➤ Statewide: The average full-coverage car insurance premium in Colorado rose more than 36% from 2021 to 2024, topping $1,800, according to new national data. (More)

➤ DIA: Police detained a person who got onto Denver International Airport’s airfield Saturday afternoon, five months after a man on a runway was struck and killed by a departing plane. (More)

➤ Golden: A Golden man was convicted of threatening two New York judges and a court clerk after his discrimination lawsuit was dismissed. He faces up to 10 years in prison. (More)

➤ Dillon: The town says it reconfigured the amphitheater’s subwoofers, angled its sound system, and started Mountain Music Mondays 30 minutes earlier after neighbors’ noise complaints. (More)

➤ Grand Junction: Free leaf pickup for single-family homes begins the week of Oct. 26—a week later than planned because few leaves have fallen—and runs through mid-December. (More)

➤ Fort Collins: A man riding a low-powered scooter was seriously injured in a crash with a deer on Centre Avenue Sunday night. A police drone searched for the deer but couldn’t find it. (More)

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➤ Nikola Jokić needed only 26 minutes to post 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Nuggets’ 133-128 preseason win over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. (More)

➤ Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb called it disappointing that Sean Payton took back play-calling duties after four games, but he will still run offensive meetings. (More)

➤ ESPN’s Pete Thamel called Deion Sanders’ five-year, $54 million deal one of the worst contracts in college football, with Colorado at 2-3 and facing a $26.1 million buyout. (More)

➤ Thamel also named Sanders among six coaches who could shape the next coaching carousel, noting that new athletic director Fernando Lovo did not hire him. (More)

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➤ Lafayette approved a $100 festival short-term rental license ahead of the Sundance Film Festival’s Boulder debut, letting residents self-certify homes through a pilot ending June 1, 2027. (More)

➤ Shuttles between Aspen and Eagle County Regional Airport could start this ski season as officials prepare for the Aspen airport’s closure from April to November 2027. (More)

➤ Gubernatorial candidates Phil Weiser, Victor Marx, and Greg Lopez all say Colorado is overregulated, but they differ on how to tackle costs, data centers, and road funding. (More)

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➤ Vail’s Nicole Otake is trying to become the first American woman to climb the Seven Volcanic Summits, the highest volcanoes on each continent. (More)

➤ The Grand Junction Polar Plunge, which raises money for Special Olympics Colorado, is set for Nov. 14 at Highline Lake State Park in Loma. (More)

➤ Englewood’s Harry Ladewig, a Red Cross volunteer for nearly 60 years, is among the Coloradans serving hot meals in Alabama and Florida after Hurricane Isaias. (More)

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Yesterday’s Results:

Do you plan on attending the Sundance Film Festival in Boulder this January?

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