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• Improvements to Arkansas River will help anglers Play Video

  February 11, 2013 3:59 PM

  There are huge improvements happening to the Arkansas River in Pueblo. We found out why crews are placing large rocks in the river. It's a pretty big project. "It's 7.1 miles," said Pete Gallagher, President of Fin-Up Habitat Consultants. Placing rocks in the river may seem... more »

• Celebrating 50 years of bringing water to southern Colorado

  August 18, 2012 2:33 PM

  The debate over distribution of water flowing from the Rocky Mountains is one that probably won't end anytime soon. Five decades ago this week President John Kennedy was in Pueblo to sign off on a new project for the water flowing down the Arkansas River. Today people are... more »

• Fremont Co. approves Over the River, still steps to go Play Video

  March 27, 2012 7:25 PM

  Fremont County Commissioners are giving approval to artist Christo for his Over the River project - covering the parts of the Arkansas River with sheets of fabric. Other requests for approval are still pending; however getting the unanimous vote from the Fremont County Commissioners was a big hurdle that... more »

• Commissioners approve Over the River

  March 27, 2012 1:22 PM

  The Board of Commissioners in Fremont County has approved a temporary use permit to allow Christo's Over the River project to proceed. The artist plans to drape about six miles of fabric over a 42 mile section of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The plan... more »

• "One Tank Getaways" for those with Spring Break cash crunch Play Video

  March 21, 2012 8:09 PM

  With vacation just around the corner for many; high gas prices continue to eat away at those spring break budgets. So, what do you do if you want to do something fun, but don't want to break the bank? News 5 has put together a list of options in... more »

• Work crews spread over two miles in clean up effort

  January 9, 2012 2:56 PM

  Work crews are spread over a two mile area in downtown Pueblo trying to retrieve diesel fuel that spilled from a tanker truck early this morning. The truck was at the 1st Stop convenience store at 7th and Grand overnight when an estimated 83 gallons of fuel spilled. It... more »

• Minnows reintroduced in Arkansas River

  December 12, 2011 12:13 PM

  Two rare minnows are once again swimming in the Arkansas River thanks to pioneering research efforts at the John Mumma Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility. Plains minnows and suckermouth minnows are native species on the Colorado threatened and endangered list. The small minnows were stocked into the Arkansas River above... more »

• More information on bus crash

  July 21, 2011 11:54 PM

  A bus full of people, finishing up a rafting trip, flipped over just west of Parkdale on U.S. Highway 50. 38 people were on the bus when it flipped, seven people had to be transported for injuries. State Patrol says none of the injuries were critical. When it happened... more »

• Fremont County Coroner confirms ID of body found in Arkansas River

  July 21, 2011 2:49 PM

  The Fremont County Coroner has confirmed with News First 5 that the body of Michael Ruggiere was recovered from the Arkansas River after it was discovered by rafters in an area described as hard to reach earlier this week. Ruggiere's family has been notified and the Coroner's office states... more »

• Update: crews still looking for body

  July 18, 2011 9:23 PM

  Pueblo County Sheriff's Office crews continue to look for a body in the Arkansas River near the Fremont County Line. Rafters found the body earlier this afternoon and called authorities. So far, search crews have not located it. We'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest... more »

• Pueblo Police investigate why a truck was in Arkansas River

  July 2, 2011 4:30 PM

  Pueblo Police are still investigating they mystery of a truck found in the Arkansas River overnight. The truck was discovered in the river around midnight and it was not until 10:00am that it was retrieved by a tow truck. Police had taped off the area because the truck was... more »

• Travel Channel show taping in Canon City

  May 18, 2011 7:52 PM

  The Travel Channel is taping an episode of "Bert the Conqueror" in Canon City this weekend. The show's star, Bert Kreischer, travels the country looking for thrills and challenges American towns have to offer. Sometimes it is at theme parks and other times in people's backyards. In Canon,... more »

• "Over the River" Project report due out in April

  February 27, 2011 10:52 PM

  DENVER (AP) - The artist Christo expects federal land managers to release a final environmental impact statement on April 1 for his proposal to suspend nearly six miles worth of fabric over the Arkansas River for two weeks. The earliest the "Over the River" project could happen is August 2014.... more »

• Volunteers needed for Arkansas Headwaters panel

  January 24, 2011 5:33 PM

  Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area (AHRA) is seeking volunteers for its Citizen Task Force (CTF). The deadline for applications is Feb. 28. One delegate is needed to represent each of the following interest areas: 1) Anglers 2) Commercial Permittees 3) Environmental Interests 4) Private Boaters... more »

• Toddler dies after falling in icy Arkansas River in Canon City

  January 7, 2011 1:39 AM

  A 2-year-old Cañon City boy who wandered away from his home Thursday afternoon has died after being pulled from the freezing waters of the Arkansas River. Sean M. Marques passed away at 10:04 p.m. at St. Thomas More Hospital in Cañon City despite intensive efforts by doctors to save him,... more »

• "A whole team" of doctors working to save boy who fell in river

  January 6, 2011 11:42 PM

  "A whole team" was working to save a 2-year-old boy who went missing and was later found under some ice in the Arkansas River near his home in Canon City Thursday afternoon. Sergeant Don Pinover with the Fremont County Sheriff's Office tells News First 5 that the toddler, identified only... more »

• Waiting for word: 2 year old found in icy river

  January 6, 2011 11:08 PM

  Family, friends and neighbors in Canon City are waiting for word on the fate of little 2 year old Sean. The Canon City boy wandered away from home Thursday afternoon. He was found about two hours later, in the icy Arkansas river. More than 100 law officers, volunteers and... more »

• Water compact rules enacted

  October 29, 2010 2:47 PM

  The judge in the Division 2 Water Court in Pueblo, Dennis Maes, has approved new rules enacted by Colorado State Engineer Dick Wolfe that will allow the state to enforce and comply with the Arkansas River Compact. The ruling clears the way for improvements, such as replacing flood and... more »

• Fire burns along Arkansas River in Blende

  October 26, 2010 5:10 PM

  A brush fire burning in the Salt Creek area of Pueblo is now almost out. It burned along the Arkansas River, east of Joplin and north of Highway 50 in Blende. Update: The fire started just east of Joplin Road on the south side of the Arkansas River.... more »

• Water deals drying up Arkansas River land

  September 27, 2010 3:52 PM

  The Pueblo Chieftain reports that deals transferring water out of agriculture eventually could dry up one-third of the historically irrigated land in the Arkansas River basin. The newspaper says that transfers from 1950 to the present could take water off nearly 150,000 acres out of 450,000 historically irrigated acres... more »

• Both sides meet over rafting rights

  September 23, 2010 7:36 PM

  SALIDA, Colo. (AP) - A Colorado panel to settle rafting disputes between landowners and paddlers has begun sorting through ideas to calm the waters. A task force set up after a rafting bill died in the state legislature held its first meeting Wednesday in Salida. Task force member Bob... more »

• Tamarisk spraying planned west of Lake Pueblo

  September 3, 2010 7:20 PM

  An area along the Arkansas River west of the Lake Pueblo will be closed this month for aerial spraying of tamarisk. About 190 acres of river bottom on both sides of the Arkansas River will be sprayed up-river from the Swallows Cemetery, according to Quentin Springer of the Colorado... more »

• Authorities slow Arkansas River to recover body

  August 18, 2010 10:42 AM

  Authorities are slowing the flow of the Arkansas River as they try to recover the body of a missing rafting guide. Kimberly Appelson, 23, of Breckenridge was thrown from a boat near a rapid at the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area on July 11. Dogs later picked up her scent... more »

• BLM extends comment period for Christo project

  August 16, 2010 3:01 PM

  The BLM has extended a 45-day public review and comment period for Christo's Over The River Draft Environmental Impact Statement. All written comments are now due on or before Sept. 14. "The BLM has received a number of requests to extend the 45-day comment period; citing 45-days is not... more »

• Federal regulators consider Christo's river art

  August 12, 2010 7:18 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Artist Christo says he's not going to speculate about his next step if federal regulators don't support his proposal to suspend huge fabric panels over the Arkansas River in Colorado. Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude, proposed temporarily hanging a total of nearly six miles of... more »

• Arkansas River remains below flood stage

  August 5, 2010 11:03 AM

  Days of heavy rains have raised the level of the Arkansas River in southern Colorado. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting that the river will not flood at this time. Fountain Creek is running swiftly from El Paso to Pueblo County and the confluence with the... more »

• Christo to lecture on Arkansas River proposal

  July 28, 2010 8:45 AM

  Artist Christo is giving more free public lectures on his proposal to suspend large fabric panels over parts of the Arkansas River. He plans to speak on "Over the River" Wednesday in Colorado Springs and Thursday in Pueblo. The Bureau of Land Management must issue a permit for the... more »

• Search continues for missing Colorado raft guide

  July 22, 2010 9:04 AM

  Search dogs might have picked up the scent of a Breckenridge raft guide missing since July 11, but the water on the Arkansas River is still too high to look further in the spot. Kimberly Appelson was off-duty when she was thrown from a boat near a rapid at... more »

• Official worried abut new Aurora water grab

  July 12, 2010 9:20 AM

  An Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District official is concerned that the city of Aurora is trying to expand its service area for providing water. An intergovernmental agreement signed in 2003 requires Aurora's reservoirs to be at 60 percent capacity before it can buy more water through leases. Upper... more »

• Live music at the Nature Center

  July 8, 2010 4:20 PM

  If you're looking for something to do this Saturday evening, musician Jody Adams will perform at the Nature Center and Coyote's on the River Coffee Den in Pueblo. Adams is a multi-instrumentalist & repeat winner of songwriting contests throughout America. Jody has toured and worked with several acoustic and... more »

• Christo tries to save vision for 'Over the River'

  July 6, 2010 9:20 AM

  The artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude promised each other years ago that they'd suspend miles of fabric over the Arkansas River in Colorado. Last November, Jeanne-Claude died, leaving Christo to seek a permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the project, dubbed "Over the River." BLM is due... more »

• 20th body found in Arkansas flooding disaster

  June 14, 2010 12:43 PM

  Searchers found the 20th victim from last week's flash flooding at a southwest Arkansas campground, state police said Monday. Spokesman Bill Sadler did not say whether it was an adult or a child. Eighteen of the 20 victims have been identified. Matt DeCample, a spokesman for Gov. Mike... more »

• Arkansas river access restricted, properties flooded

  June 9, 2010 7:57 PM

  The City of Pueblo is restricting public access to the Arkansas river. The water's running so high it's now starting to soak properties in the county. The river has flooded a few fields along 29th lane by Highway-96. Homeowner Bill Keyser says the water's also flooded several basements in the... more »

• Pueblo Fire Department issues river warning

  June 8, 2010 7:41 PM

  The Pueblo Fire Department strongly suggests people stay out of the Arkansas River as it runs through Pueblo. On Tuesday afternoon the river was running at 5900 cubic feet per second at Moffat Street. That level is extremely high and Fire Chief Chris Riley warns that the river at... more »

• Snow melts, water rises in Colorado rivers

  June 8, 2010 1:10 PM

  Coloradans are keeping a nervous eye on rising rivers as a late spring heat wave melts snow quickly, swelling waterways, wiping out bridges and flooding some homes. The high water has prompted some rafting companies to halt guided trips. In Estes Park, some 500 sandbags were handed out Monday... more »

• Gov. Ritter to sign bills in Pueblo, Canon City

  June 7, 2010 10:58 AM

  The bill signing frenzy continues in Colorado, as Gov. Bill Ritter plows through hundreds of bills passed by the legislature in the waning days of this year's session. The governor will sign more than a dozen bills today and tomorrow. On Tuesday, Gov. Ritter will sign three bills at... more »

• Rafter drowns in accident on Arkansas River

  May 27, 2010 1:47 PM

  The drowning death of a Canon City woman is being investigated in Fremont County. The accident happened yesterday afternoon in the Arkansas River just west of Parkdale. Fremont County Coroner Dorothy Twellman says that 22-year old Nikki Innes was training to be a raft guide with Whitewater Adventure... more »

• Artist tells supporters: Arkansas River project still a go

  May 20, 2010 6:23 PM

  After meeting with supporters Wednesday, Artist Christo says he's still working on a proposed art project over the Arkansas River, despite his wife's death in November. Christo met with about 110 supporters at a reception Wednesday, in Salida in his first public appearance there without wife and partner Jeanne-Claude.... more »

• Removing tamarisk may not boost water supply

  May 13, 2010 8:21 AM

  A U.S. Geological Survey report suggests clearing tamarisk, or salt cedar, from waterways doesn't significantly boost streamflow in the long-term. The tree has spread since being used in the 1900s for erosion control. A coalition of groups working to restore the Arkansas River basin says the watershed has... more »

• Christo to visit Salida

  May 9, 2010 2:51 PM

  SALIDA, Colo. (AP) - Artist Christo plans to visit the Upper Arkansas River Valley this month to thank supporters of his proposed "Over the River" project, which would involve suspending a total of about six miles of fabric over sections along a 40-mile stretch of the Arkansas River. Christo's... more »

• Body found in Arkansas River

  April 3, 2010 6:35 PM

  Police and firefighters in Pueblo pulled a man's body from the Arkansas River Saturday afternoon. Police think 19 year old Michael Casias drowned late last night. He was last seen fishing with his father Friday night. Police say the two became separated and friends and family started looking for... more »

• Update: Body of missing Florence woman found

  January 23, 2010 11:36 PM

  The Arkansas River has been the focus of search efforts for 49-year-old Beth Rice, who went missing two weeks ago. Saturday morning she was found in the water, dead. However, right now police aren't looking for suspects. "We don't feel that there's any foul play in this case... more »

• Search continues for missing Florence woman

  January 12, 2010 5:17 PM

  A search continues today for a Florence woman who's been missing since the weekend. Searchers scoured the area, including kayakers on the Arkansas River. Beth Rice, 49, was last in contact with her family on Saturday. She did not attend church on Sunday, as expected. A search of her... more »

• Sewage spills into Arkansas River at Pueblo

  December 5, 2009 1:07 PM

  More than 300,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the Arkansas River after a malfunction at a wastewater treatment plant in Pueblo. The spill Thursday happened about a mile east of the confluence of Fountain Creek and the Arkansas River. Officials have tested the water but won't know the extent of... more »

• Construction project on Arkansas River expected to be noisy

  September 26, 2009 7:20 AM

  The City of Pueblo Wastewater Department says a construction project is necessary to replace an old, corroding sewer vault and decrease the chance of sewage discharge into the Arkansas River. But the department also says the project due to start next week will likely be a loud, noisy one. The... more »