Utility Takes Action To Prevent Bears From Eating Visitors

Denver Water has decided to changes some of its normal policies because, strangely enough, it is afraid locals will be eaten by bears.

Denver Water, Colorado's largest public drinking water service, decided to close Waterton Canyon to the public until further notice, according to the utility. “We love Waterton as much as you — for its natural beauty as well as its vitality to delivering our customers water,” the utility explained.

Workers and recreational users normally share the space, a hot spot for biking and hiking. For the utility, it is where water is “diverted from the reservoir into a 3.4 mile-long tunnel under the mountains to the Foothills Water Treatment Plant. Completed in 1983, this dam towers 243 feet above the South Platte streambed, forming a 1.7 mile-long lake with 98 surface acres,” the utility explained.

Tourists visit the location from around the world. “With more than 100,000 visitors a year, Waterton Canyon is one of the most popular outdoor recreation amenities for Coloradans and tourists alike. But as a key Denver Water operational facility, the attributes that make this canyon so great can also lead to unexpected closures,” the utility says.

The problem is that the location has undergone a spike in bear sightings, and hikers are getting uncomfortably close to the wildlife.

“If you search Waterton Canyon on the Web, you’ll find countless wildlife photos, ranging from bighorn sheep and rattlesnakes on the canyon trail to birds and toads along the banks of the South Platte River. It’s not uncommon to see snapshots of bears this time of year, either.

But when mama bears are foraging the canyon with their cubs, while hundreds, if not thousands of visitors a day are looking for that perfect wildlife shot, that’s asking for trouble,” the utility explained in a blog post.

Brandon Ransom, Denver Water’s manager of recreation, explained the rationale behind the decision.

“We’ve actually seen people using selfie sticks to try and get as close to the bears as possible, sometimes within 10 feet of wild bears,” he said. “The current situation is not conducive for the safety of our visitors or the well-being of the wildlife.”

The utility added this piece of advice for rec visitors: “The next time you see a bear in the woods, or even your front yard, please put down the selfie stick.”

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