By Katherine Faz
The Upper and Lower Sand Creek Lakes and the upper reach of Sand Creek in the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve will be treated to remove all fish from the drainage as part of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve native fish restoration project.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and National Park Service staff will work along the creek and lake shorelines to complete the treatment of the water. As a result, the water will temporarily be non-potable to drink or use.
To allow staff unimpeded access and the ability to complete this project, public closure of areas around the Sand Creek Lakes and beyond will go into effect at 12:00am on August 30 until 11:59pm on September 5. The following locations shall be closed to public entry established under the authority of Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations, § 1.5 (a)(1) Closures and Public Use Limits.
100 yards surrounding Upper and Lower Sand Creek Lakes.
100 yards on both sides of Sand Creek from where it exits each of the lakes and extends 5 miles downstream.
Signage will be posted at trailheads and along trail junctions to ensure visitors are aware of these restrictions. Great Sand Dunes asks visitors to plan accordingly to ensure they are carrying enough potable water during this time frame as filtering from creeks and lakes in the closure area is not an option.
For more information, contact the visitor center at 719-378-6395.
Katherine Faz is Public Information Officer for Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.