The 19 mile Blue River stretch between Silverthorne to Green Mountain Reservoir has been degraded of it’s Gold Medal status by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The river still has 15 miles of it’s Gold status from the Dillon Dam to Hamilton Creek Road bridge crossing and also from Green Mountain Dam to the waterway’s confluence with the Colorado River.
The decision comes after CPW has been monitoring unnatural stream flows, sparse aquatic habitat, and low nutrient content all contributed to the decline of the water. CPW said that stretch of the river hasn’t met the Gold Medal standard for about 15 years.
“The overall goal is to maintain the integrity of the Gold Medal designation,” Jon Ewert, a CPW aquatic biologist, said in a statement. “As necessary, we will make recommendations to delist or upgrade waters, keeping in mind the intent of the designation — identifying waters where anglers can catch large, trophy-quality trout.”
Read more at http://coloradotu.org/2016/03/blue-river-loses-gold-medal-status/