OURAY, Colo. (KREX) — Forest Service district ranger Dana Gardunio tells me Crystal Lake is a staple to the million-dollar highway and cherished by both Ouray locals and tourists passing through.
But the small dam at the north end of the lake, which was rebuilt in 2012, is making waves of trouble. Last year, a routine inspection found a crack in the dam.
Yet the crack is not the root of the problem…its rating is. Several years ago, Forest Service and U.S. Army Core of Engineers classified the dam as a high hazard if it were to ever fail, meaning potential loss of life and property damage.
Crystal Lake sits on the edge of a valley on top of a mountain overlooking Ouray. Models showed the Forest Service impacts could be found as far as seven miles downstream if the dam were to fail, meaning the heart of the town could potentially feel the effects.
Gardunio tells Western Slope Now once the snow starts to burn off, the Forest Service will have to lower the water level to relieve some pressure off of the dam, but only about 6 to 7 inches.
The long-term solution, Gardunio says, is still not yet decided, though the Forest Service did send out stakeholder letters with a gameplan and asking for feedback.
Long term options include draining the lake entirely, fixing or replacing the dam, and selling or trading the land to the city of Ouray or another organization who would keep it open to the public.
The mention of draining the lake is starting to scare some locals, and Ouray County commissioner Jake Niece tells Western Slope Now his meeting with the Forest Service didn't feel like a brainstorm, but rather an order.
Gardunio says the city of Ouray stopped communicating with the Forest Service back in 2020 regarding this issue. Because it's been so long, she says the Forest Service started moving forward with the plan.
Gardunio tells Western Slope Now this is very early in the process, and there will be an opportunity for the public to weigh in later on down the road.