From The Mountain Mail:
Spring fishing has been “spectacular,” and “stellar flows for whitewater boating” are expected well into summer, Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Park Manager Rob White said May 23. “Thanks to late spring snowstorms, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District informed AHRA they will have 10,000 acre-feet of water available for the Voluntary Flow Management Program this summer,” White said. “This ensures the Upper Arkansas River good flows for rafting, kayaking and fishing.”
The Voluntary Flow Management Program is a cooperative program crafted in the 1990s with help from Trout Unlimited and the Arkansas River Outfitters Association. The program provides water management guidelines that provide for whitewater flows in the Arkansas River for recreation users in the summer months. It also protects and enhances the fishery by establishing minimum flow guidelines throughout the rest of the year, White said.
White advised rafting enthusiasts planning a whitewater trip on the Arkansas to use a trained, experienced guide. The Arkansas River Outfitters Association has information to help select a whitewater boating company, he said. For more information on AHRA, visit parks.state.co.us/Parks/ArkansasHeadwaters.