Sherman & Howard water law attorney James Eklund was quoted in a 9NEWS story about a tragic rafting accident that occurred along the Colorado River in Grand County, Colorado. In the article, Eklund discussed the river’s high-water levels and fast-moving rapids and emphasized the importance of wearing life jackets in heavy waters like the Colorado River.

Below is an excerpt from the article.

Water attorney James Eklund said Colorado is entering its peak runoff season as snow melts into rivers and lakes.

“More water in the river can mean more fun, more rapids to navigate,” Eklund said. “It can certainly be a wonderful thing, but it can also be dangerous.”

Eklund said water in the Colorado River is moving at 1,300 cubic feet per second. He said water moving that fast can create some challenges.

“When you start talking about that volume of water, you get caught in a rapid, into a compromised position, water is extremely heavy,” Eklund said. “You get pulled into a hydrologic feature and it can be difficult to get out.”

Schroetlin said high waters make safety all the more important to consider.

“Unfortunately, this was a tragic incident that happened,” Eklund said. “But the key message of this is, we can hopefully save you if you have life vest on, or you can save yourself. So put those life vests on.”

Read the full article HERE.