Lake Dillon Capacity Study

7/28/2019 Lake Dillon Capacity Study

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DILLON RESERVOIRRECREATION CAPACITYANALYSISPreparedBy:RPIConsulting

InPartnership

with:

Summit

County

Open

Space

and

Trails

December2012


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DillonReservoirRecreationCapacityAnalysis 2012

ContentsContents........................................................................................................................................................ 2ExecutiveSummary....................................................................................................................................... 3Capacity......................................................................................................................................................... 7OverviewofExistingRecreationalFacilities................................................................................................. 8Special

Events

Calendar

..............................................................................................................................

10

RecreationPathUsagePatterns................................................................................................................. 13TrailCapacity............................................................................................................................................... 16ReservoirCapacity...................................................................................................................................... 21CampingCapacity........................................................................................................................................ 23On

Site

Observation

of

Biking

Event

...........................................................................................................

24

RecommendationsforRecreationPathEventPermitting.......................................................................... 26RecreationPathEventApplicationCheckListandRouteMaps................................................................ 29


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Executive Summary

PurposeThis report describes the baseline capacity and use occurring on the Recreational Pathway System

around Dillon Reservoir (rec path) and analyzes how special events affect the rec path's capacity to

provide residents and visitors with a safe and high quality recreational experience. This report also

supplies Summit County Open Space and Trails with tools to mitigate capacity issues associated with

specialeventsthatutilizetherecpath. Inadditiontotherecreationpathcapacityanalysis,thisstudy

alsoprovidescapacitybenchmarksforboatingandcampingatDillonReservoir.

Recreation Path Capacity AnalysisWith the Dillon Dam section already accommodating over 65,000 users in 2010, there is strong and

growingdemand for recpathactivities. More than halfofall recpathusageoccursonSaturdayand

Sunday,withonly48%oftotaluseoccurringonweekdays.70%ofrecpathuseoccursinJune,Julyand

August. Meanwhile, themajorityofspecialeventsoccurononeof the15weekendsbetweenLabor

Day and Memorial Day. 20 of these events occurred during that period from midJuly through late

August.

Based on typical use patterns, the consulting team employed a level of service (LOS) analysis to

determinethebaselinefunctionalityandqualityofexperienceontherecpatharoundDillonReservoir


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peakseasonandpeakhourbeforetheLOSslipstoC,whichrepresentscompromiseduserexperience

andsafety.

Recreation Path Event RecommendationsBecausetherecpath isalreadyshowingsignsofcrowdingduringpeakhoursandpeakseason,special

events featuring the rec path can push the system into an overcrowding status, especially because

specialeventstypicallyoccurontheweekendsduringpeakseasonandpeakhours. Specialeventscan

have

important

community

benefits,

in

fact

many

of

the

rec

path

events

are

hosted

by

local

organizations.However,largereventscancompromiseregularuserexperienceandsafety.

Toprovidecriteriaforbalancingspecialeventusewithregularrecpathuse,thisreportprovidesSummit

CountyOpenSpace and Trails witha Recreation PathScoring Systemand applicant checklist thatare

intendedtohelpimplementthefollowingrecommendationsaboutrecpathspecialeventpermitting:

Sincethe

rec

path

is

well

used

by

locals

and

visitors

and

the

LOS

analysis

indicates

that

the

paths

are

alreadybusywithlimitedexcesscapacitybeforeservicedeclines,theconsultantteamrecommendsthat

Summit County Open Space and Trails

set aside twoeventfree weekends per

month, from Memorial Day to Labor

Day, during which events will not be

allowed on the Summit County

Recreational

Pathway

System

(particularly during peak hours). This

willallowSummitCountyresidentsand


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ofyearforlocalbusinesses.Futureevents,particularlylargeeventsshouldbeencouragedduringtimes

ofyear,

day

and

week

when

excess

capacity

exists

on

the

rec

path

and

extra

activity

will

not

decrease

recreationalpathservicelevels.

Schedulingeventsonweekdayswouldalsohelpalleviatecapacityissuesrelatedtolargespecialevents.

Lessrecpathuseoccursduringweekdays,asaresultschedulingeventsontheweekdays wouldavoid

crowding and congestion. Summit County is typically less busy during peak season weekdays, so in

additiontohavingless impactonthepathwaysystem,theseeventswouldbeawelcomeboostduring

theslowerpartsoftheweekforlocalbusinesses.

Afinaloptionwouldbetoencourageeventstoscheduleoutsidethepeakusetimes;before10amor

after4pm.68%ofcombinedrecpathusageoccursduringpeakhours,withhourlyvolumespeakingat

over200usersperhourduringpeakseason. Thismeansthatthereismorecapacityforspecialevents

duringoffpeakhours.

Capacity Benchmark for Boating and CampingThisreportalsoexaminesusagepatternsandfacilitycapacitiesofcampingandboatingfacilitiesatDillon

Reservoir. Campingandboatingfacilitiesarenotcurrentlyexperiencingovercrowding issueshowever

thisreportprovidesSummitCountyOpenSpaceandTrailswithplanningtoolstohelpmanagecamping

andboatingrecreation.

TheBureauofReclamation(BOR)developedboatingcapacityrangesaspartoftheWaterOpportunity

Recreation System (WROS). The system isdesigned to help planners and managers understand their

resources, and make informed management decisions. The guide is structured around the following


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Atthistimeitdoesnotappearthatthereisadearthofcamping,particularlywithadvancedreservations

availablefor

those

who

plan

ahead

to

be

sure

they

have

asite.


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CapacityWhether it is a park, a rec path or a baseball field, recreation capacity reflects the total number of

participantsthataparticularfacilitycanaccommodateinagivenperiod.Whenuseatafacilityexceeds

capacity, the quality of the users experience decreases. Because virtually everyone has had an

unpleasantexperiencewithcrowdedfacilities,allcapacitiesaremeanttoactasthresholds.Withinthe

threshold,crowdingisminimizedandoutsideofwhichcrowdingbecomesinconvenient,unpleasurable,

and

potentially

compromises

public

safety.

Regular

users

have

all

probably

had

the

experience

of

walkingonarecpaththat isovercapacitywith toomanyhikersandbicyclists.Thisconditioncreates

delays,potentiallyunsafeconditions, lackofparkingattrailheadsand results inanoveralldiminished

experienceforallusers.

This report presents capacity analysis for Dillon Reservoirs rec path system, camping and water

recreation resources. However, the primary focus is on rec path related capacity issues because the

majorityoflargespecialeventsrequiresignificantuseoftherecpathsystem. Unlikethecampingand

water recreation facilities, the rec path system is generally available to all users, does not require

membershiporspecializedequipmentandusagetimeisoftenshort.Thecampgroundsandmarinasat

DillonReservoiraremanagedby independentorganizationswithwelldefinedmanagementplansand

definite capacity restrictions based on available facilities; the limited amount of boat slips and camp

spacesisfinite.Thesedistinctionsarenotasclearwithregardtotherecpath.


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Overview of Existing Recreational FacilitiesCampingForest Service concessionaires manage six campgrounds at Dillon Reservoir. There are 325 total

campsitesat

the

reservoir

including

two

group

sites

that

can

host

up

to

100

people.

Sites

cost

between

$16and$23forsinglesitesand$90$195forthegroupcampsitesattheWindyPointCampground.All

campgrounds have restrooms and potable water. There are also RV specific sites with 39 sites with

electrical hookups and 16 sites with water hookups. The campgrounds are primarily used from

MemorialDaythroughLaborDay,andreachfulloccupancyonallweekendsinJulyandAugust.

Figure1.DillonReservoirCampgroundInventory

Sites Fee FacilitiesPeakOne 79 $18 Restrooms,Water

PineCove 32 $16 Restrooms,Water

HeatonBay 81 $18$23 Restrooms,ElectricalHookups,WaterHookups,TentOnlySites

Prospector 107 $17 Restrooms

Lowry 24 $17$22 Restrooms,ElectricalHookups,

WindyPointGroup

2

$90

$195

Group sites support up to 100 people, Restrooms, Picnic Tables,

Group

Fire

Ring,

Water

Spigots,

Pavilion

w/

BBQ,

Serving

Tables,

DishwashingSink

Source:USForestService,SummitCountyOpenSpace


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thereservoirandisafullservicemarinawithboatstorage,rentals,arestaurant,aboatramp,and168

slipsites.

For

boaters

without

slips,

the

reservoir

has

six

day

use

moorings

and

two

boat

ramps.

ParkingThe 11 primary parking lotsat Dillon Reservoir have 555 total parkingspaces, andcan accommodate

1,770dailyusers.1Eightoftheparkinglotsareincloseproximitytotherecpathsystemproviding481

spaces. The largestparking lotsareattheFriscoBayandDillonMarinas,and includespacesforboats

andtrailers.

Figure2.DillonReservoirCampgroundInventory

Spaces RecreationPathProximitySnakeRiverInlet 27 Yes

SapphirePoint 20 Yes

PineCoveCampground 32 No

OldDillon

Reservoir

15 Yes

GibersonBayFishingPoint 18 Yes

FriscoByMarina 236 Yes

DillonMarina 143 Yes

DillonDamOverlook 10 Yes

DickeyAnglerAccess 15 No

BlueRiverInlet 27 No

HeatonBay

12 Yes

Total 555

Source:USForestService,SummitCountyOpenSpace:


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Figure4.CumulativeNumberofEventsHeldonWeekends20092011(MemorialDaythroughLaborDay)

Source:SummitCountyOpenSpace

Onaverage,aspecialeventwillgenerate970participants.Weekend7(firstorsecondweekendinJuly)

andweekend

14

(last

weekend

in

August)

had

the

highest

average

weekend

attendance

rates,

the

Triple

BypassRidetypicallyoccursonweekend7andweekend14shighaverage isaresultofthe2011USA

Pro Cycling Challenge. In the past threeyears, no special events were scheduled onweekend 6 (last

weekendinJuneorfirstweekendinJuly)andweekendeight(secondorthirdweekendinJuly).Figure6

(nextpage)presents20092011specialeventschedulingandattendance.

Figure5.AverageEventAttendancebyWeekend(MemorialDaythruLaborDay)


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DillonReservoirRecreationCapacityAnalysis 2012 2012

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Figure6.20092011WeekendEventCalendarwithEstimatedAttendance(MemorialDaythroughLaborDay)

Month June July AugustWeekendNumber 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 12 14 15

2009

AdventureXStream 330

AmericasCup 72

LakeDillon

Challenge

100

AdventureCycling 60

AvonWalkforBreastCancer 2,000

BlueRiverCentury 300

BobGuthrieRide 450

CourageClassic 2,000

Sonnelap 160

2010

AdventureCycling 60


BlueRiverCentury 400

BobGuthrieRide 500


Sonnelap 140

CORocky

Mountain

Bike

Tour

150

LakeDillonChallenge 75

TripleBypass 4,000

2011

AdventureXStream 250

AdventureCycling 60


BobGuthrieRide 500


Sonnelap 150

TripleBypass 4,000

USAProCyclingChallenge 10,000

LakeDillonChallenge 75

BicycleTourofColorado 1,500

Source:Summit

County

Open

Space


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Recreation Path Usage PatternsIt is important to examine when the rec path is used to determine specific times when capacity is

exceeded, leading to decreased user experiences. Averaging use over the entire season is not very

useful because it does not specifically identify when capacity issues arise. This section examines

monthly,dailyandhourlyusagepatterns.

Seasonality and Peak HoursThe rec path at Dillon Reservoir has a definite seasonal use pattern. It is generally unusable in the

wintermonthsduetosnowyandicyconditions.TherecpathbeginstoexperienceregularusageinApril

andthisusagecontinues,dependingonfirstsnow,throughtheendofNovember. Peakusageonthe

recpathoccursbetweenJune15thandAugust15th. Usageisfurtherbrokendownintopeakhoursand

functionalhoursbecauseuseratesarecloselyrelatedtotimeofday.Functionaloperationalhoursare

definedasbetween6:00AMand9:00PM.Peakhoursaredefinedasbetween9:00AMand4:00PM.

Annual, Monthly, Weekly and Daily Usage PatternsDuringthe2010and2011seasons,trailcounterswereplacedoneachsectionoftherecpath. Itwas

observed that most of the usage occurs on the Dillon Dam rec path, which experienced over 65,000

usersin2010and39,000in20112.TheKeystonesegmentsawover34,000usersin2010and38,000in

2011. In2011,over14,000peopleusedtheSwanMountainrecpath.3 ItislikelythattheDillonDam

rec path has higher usage rates because of its proximity to Dillon and Frisco and three of the six

campgrounds.

Figure7.SummitCountyRecreationalPathwaySystemAnnualUsagePattern2010and2011


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shoulderseasonmonthsofApril,May,September,OctoberandNovemberwhenaveragecombineduse

is

between

30

and

500

users

per

day.

Figure8.SummitCountyRecreationalPathwaySystemMonthlyUsagePattern

AverageCombinedUsersPerDay PercentofTotalUseApril 31 1%

May 268 8%

June 690 18%

July 1,070 31%

August

646 19%

September 446 12%

October 219 6%

November 85 5%


MorethanhalfofallrecpathusageoccursonFriday,SaturdayandSunday,withonly48%oftotaluse

occurring

Monday

through

Thursday.

On

average,

the

rec

path

sections

had

between

433

and

460

daily

usersMondaythroughThursdayandbetween542and702dailyusersFridaythroughSaturday.During

peakseason,weekenddailyusageaverages1,100usersandcanpeakatover2,300.Weekdayusagein

theoffseasonaverages250usersforallrecpathsections.

Figure9.SummitCountyRecreationalPathwaySystemDailyUsagePattern

CombinedAverageDailyUsage Average%ofTotalUsageMonday

460 13%

Tuesday 433 11%

Wednesday 459 12%

Thursday 452 12%


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Figure10.SummitCountyRecreationalPathwaySystemHourlyUsagePattern

CombinedAverageHourlyUsage Average%OfTotal4

6:00AM 7 1%

7:00AM 15 2%

8:00AM 31 4%

9:00AM 47 7%

10:00AM 76 12%

11:00AM 88 14%

12:00AM 81 12%

1:00PM 68 10%

2:00PM

63 9%

3:00PM 53 8%

4:00PM 42 6%

5:00PM 34 5%

6:00PM 24 3%

7:00PM 14 2%

8:00PM 6 1%



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Recreational Path CapacityLevel of Service (LOS) standards are used to measure the quality of a facility. In this case, LOS is

measuring the quality of the experience from a bikers perspective because 80% of rec path use is

cyclingand20%pedestrian.Thebikingmethodologyaccountsforspeed,numberofencounters,delays,

time between encounters and safety of both bikers and pedestrians. LOS is measured in terms of

encounters per hour. An encounter occurs when a bicycle passes a pedestrian moving in the same

direction,whenapedestrianmeetsabikerorpedestrianmoving intheoppositedirection,orwhena

bikermeetsapedestrianorbikermovinginoppositedirections.

MethodologyThisreportusesamethodologydevelopedbytheFederalHighwayAdministration(FHWA)aspartofthe

Highway Capacity Manual to calculate existing rec path LOS. The equations compute the number of

events occurring on a twolane, multidirectional, multiuse path. An event is defined as, bicycle

maneuvers

required

by

a

bicyclist

on

a

path,

including

passings

(same

direction

encounters)

and

meetings(oppositedirectionencounters).

LOSandexperiencequalityforamultiusefacilitydiffersbetweenbicyclistsandpedestrians.Thebikers

perspectivewaschosenbecausetheSummitCountyRecreationalPathwaySystemisrelativelylargeand

itaccountsforincreasedsafetyconcernsduetotheincreasedspeedsofbikers.Thebicycleperspective

is preferable because on a mixeduse path, both quality and safety decrease faster from a bicyclists

viewpoint.Forpedestrianswhoaremovingatrelativelyconstantandsimilarspeeds,crowdingdoesnot

become an issue until it becomes difficult to move. However, bicycle flow has a higher potential for

interruptionbecauseofincreasedandvariablespeeds.


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direction

Bike

Volume

Percent

of

total

traffic

comprised

of

bicyclistsd 80%

PedestrianVolume Percentoftotaltrafficcomprisedofpedestrians e 20%

PedestrianVolume

(Primary)

Number of pedestrians crossing a specific point on the

pathinanhourmovinginprimarydirection

f a(b)(e)

PedestrianVolume

(Opposite)

Number of pedestrians crossing a specific point on the

pathinanhourmovinginoppositedirection

g a(c)(e)

BikeVolume

(Primary)

Numberofbicyclistscrossingaspecificpointonthepath

inanhourmovinginprimarydirection

h a(b)(d)

BikeVolume

(Opposite)

Numberofbicyclistscrossingaspecificpointonthepath

inan

hour

moving

in

opposite

direction

i a(c)(d)

PassingEvents Encountersmovinginsamedirection(passing) j 3(f)+0.188(h)

MeetingEvents Encountersmovinginoppositedirection(meeting) k 5(g)+2(i)

TotalEvents Totaleventsoccurringinagivenhour l 0.5(k)+j

Source:FederalHighwayAdministrationHighwayCapacityManual

Level of ServiceFigure12classifiesuserexperienceintofivelevelsofservice.Asservicelevelsdecreasetherecreation,

path becomes more crowded, meetings and passings become frequent, bicycles maneuvers become

increasinglynecessary,andsafetyforallusersdecreasesasoverallflowbecomesslower.

Figure12.LevelofServiceSummary

LOSLevel DescriptionA

Open

pedestrian

and

bicycle

flow

is

uninterrupted,

meetings

and

passings

are

infrequent

B Impeded bicyclistsstarttoexperienceinterruptions,passingsbecomenecessary

C Constrained meetings and passings more become frequent, bicycle travel requires frequent

maneuvers path starts to feel crowded higher speeds start to become dangerous


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Figure13.TotalSeason(AprilNovember),FunctionalHours(6:00AM9:00PM)

Total

Users/Time

Period AverageUsersPerHour TotalEncounters BeginningLOS AdditionalUsers/HourtoLOSDowngradeSunday 222 15 15 A 24

Monday 148 10 10 A 29

Tuesday 143 10 10 A 29

Wednesday 137 9 9 A 30

Thursday 143 10 10 A 29

Friday 178 12 12 A 27

Saturday

250

17

17

A

22

Source:FederalHighwayAdministrationHighwayCapacityManual,SummitCountyOpenSpaceandTrailsPathCounts

Figure14.OffSeason(AprilJune14thAugust15thNovember),FunctionalHours(6:00AM9:00PM)

TotalUsers/TimePeriod AverageUsersPerHour TotalEncounters BeginningLOS AdditionalUsers/HourtoLOSDowngrade

Sunday 137 9 9 A 30

Monday

87

6 6 A 33

Tuesday 82 5 5 A 34


Thursday 83 6 6 A 33

Friday 104 7 7 A 32

Saturday 140 9 9 A 30


Figure15.OffSeason(AprilJune14thAugust15thNovember),PeakHours(9:00AM4:00PM)

TotalUsers/Time AverageUsers Total BeginningLOS AdditionalUsers/Hour


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Figure16.PeakSeason(June15thAugust15th),FunctionalHours(6:00AM9:00PM)

Total

Users/Time

Period AverageUsersPerHour TotalEncounters BeginningLOS AdditionalUsers/HourtoLOSDowngradeSunday 377 25 26 A 14

Monday 272 18 18 A 21

Tuesday 258 17 17 A 22


Thursday 235 16 16 A 23

Friday 295 20 21 A 19

Saturday

437

29 30 A 10


Figure17.PeakSeason(AprilJune14thAugust15thNovember),PeakHours(9:00AM4:00PM)

TotalUsers/TimePeriod AverageUsersPerHour TotalEncounters BeginningLOS AdditionalUsers/HourtoLOSDowngrade

Sunday 276 39 40 B 34

Monday

199

28 29 A 11

Tuesday 189 27 28 A 12


Thursday 172 25 26 A 14

Friday 217 31 32 A 8

Saturday 320 46 47 B 12


TheLOSanalysisshowsthattherecpathoffersLOSAmostofthetimebutthepathisalreadyrelatively

busyduringpeakhoursandpeakseason. Currently,thepathoperatesatLOSAexcept forSaturdays


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peakseasonandpeakhourbeforetheLOSslipstoC,whichtangiblycompromisesuserexperienceand

safety.

During functional hours in the peak season, the rec path can only accommodate an additional 1923

users per hour on the weekdays and 1014 users per hour on the weekends. Weekdays can only

accommodateanadditional814usersperhourbeforeserviceleveldecreases.


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Reservoir CapacityTheBureauofReclamation(BOR)developedboatingcapacityrangesaspartoftheirWaterOpportunity

Recreation System (WROS). The system isdesigned to help planners and managers understand their

resources,andmakeinformedmanagementdecisions. Theguideisstructuredaroundclassifyinglakes

into

the

following

categories:

Urban,

Suburban,

Rural

Developed,

Rural

Natural,

Semi

Primitive,

and

Primitive. Figure18describeseachclassification. ForthepurposesofthisanalysisSemiPrimitiveand

PrimitivearenotincludedbecauseofthescaleofdevelopmentinproximitytoDillonReservoir.

Figure18.WROSClassificationSystem

Classification DescriptionUrban found in extensively developedand populated cities,water resources are highlychannelized,

greatdeal

of

management,

recreation

is

very

extensive

Suburban found on the fringe of an urban area, water resources are highly channelized, prevalent

management,diverseandprevalentrecreationuses

Rural

Developed

foundbeyondmetropolitanareaandsuburbandevelopment,maybe locatednear"bedroom"

communities, development is common in a pastoral setting, recreation is developed but not

veryprevalent

RuralNatural found a considerable distance from metropolitan areas, natural features are predominant,

recreationexistbutarelimited,managementislimited

Source:BureauofReclamationWaterOpportunityRecreationSystem

Figure19.BoatingCapacityRange(Acres/Boat)

Cl / ( i h) / ( )


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Figure20.BoatingCapacityRangeDillonReservoir

Class AllowableBoats(High) AllowableBoats(Low)Urban 3,300 330

Suburban 330 165

RuralDeveloped 165 66

RuralNatural 66 30

Source:BureauofReclamationWaterOpportunityRecreationSystem

Figure21.

WROS

Capacity

Range

Decision

Tool

Low(MoreBoats) MidRange HighRange(Fewer

Boats)Typicalsizeofboats 25feet

Typicalspeedofboats 25mph

Diversityofboating

1.differenttypesofboats Low Moderate High

2.different

types

of

boats

Low Moderate High

3.differentSpeedofboats Low Moderate High

Boatervisitationpattern Simple/predictable Moderate Complex/

unpredictable

Levelofboaterstewardship/civility/respect

forresourceandotherusers

High Moderate Low

Shorelineconfiguration Simple/circular Moderate Complex/meandering

Boaterdestinationorpassthrougharea Passthrough

corridor/intransit

Mixed Destinationarea/

overnightarea

Extentofsensitiveresources/potentialfor

impact

Low Medium HighRange

C ibili i h dj i / Hi h M d L


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Camping CapacityCampgroundconcessionairesandtheForestServicehavethe finalauthorityonregulatingcampingat

Dillon Reservoir, however, for this analysis it is important to examine camping capacity and existing

usage.Accordingto2011campgroundusagereports,theaveragecampingpartywas3.2people.Using

this per camp site estimate with the 325 nongroup campsites, plus the two 100 person group sites

yieldsatotalnightlycapacityof1,2306Nightlycapacityismultipliedbythenumberofdayspermonth

tocalculatetotalmonthlycapacity.7

JulyandAugustarethebusiestmonthsforcampingaswellasrecpathusage. AccordingtotheForest

Service,campgroundsreachfulloccupancyonweekendsinJulyandAugust.Onaverage,usageexceeds

50%,peakingat58%during Julyand56%duringAugust. Usage ratesareconsiderably lower inMay,

June

and

September.

Very

little

camping

activity

occurs

in

May

when

less

than

1%

of

total

capacity

is

used.JuneandSeptemberexperience28%and25%usagerates.

Figure22.DillonReservoirCampingCapacityandExistingUsage(2011)

May June July August SeptemberTotalMonthlyCapacity(people) 32,683 31,629 32,683 32,683 31,629TotalMonthlyStays(people) 61 8,796 19,057 18,143 8,046%

Used


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On-Site Observation of Biking EventThe consulting team and county staff witnessed the 2012 Triple Bypass, a 3,000 rider bike tour that

utilizedtheDillonrecreationpathsystemonJuly14,2012andagainonJuly15andmadethefollowing

observations:

x Mostofthe2,000riderswhoparticipatedonJuly15rodethroughtherecpathbetween8amand11:30am.

x This level of traffic on the rec path resulted in significant crowding, particularly in narrowreachesofthepathsuchasalongtheDillonDamRoad.AlthoughtheTripleBypassisnotarace,

itdoesresultinhighspeedcyclingonmanystretchesoftherecpath.

x There were dozens of nonevent recreational users on the path during the event, and manyappearedtobehavingdifficultynavigatingthecrowdedpathway. Atseveral locations,usersseekingrelieffromthecrowdedconditionsleftthepathandrodeontheroadasanalternative

route.

x Most of the noneventrec path users did not

beginusingthepathuntil

after

10

am.

Before

10

am, there were only

intermittent nonevent


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organizers had course marshals at every intersection and location where the route changed

direction. Oneconcernwasthatsomeofthemarshalswereunsupervisedminorsthatdidnot

appearengagedinthesafetymanagement.


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Recommendations for Recreation Path EventPermitting

Recommendations:Based on the results of the capacity analysis and the onsite observation of a large bicycle tour, the

consultingteamoffersthefollowingrecommendationsabouteventpermittingonthe SummitCounty

RecreationalPathwaySystem:

x SetasidetwoeventfreeweekendspermonthfromMemorialDaytoLaborDayduringwhicheventswilltypicallynotoccurontheSummitCountyRecreationalPathwaySystem.Thiswill

allowSummitCountyresidentsandtouriststoenjoytherecpathforabouthalftheweekendsin

thesummerwithoutencounteringspecialeventsduringtheveryshortwarmweatherseasonin

themountains.

x 750ormoreparticipantsisconsideredalargeeventandeventsofthissizeneedtodemonstratethattheymeetaminimumscoreof3intheRecPathEventScoringSystembelow.Events

smallerthan

750

participants

tend

to

be

more

localized

and

generate

less

congestion

on

the

pathandtendtobeofashorterdurationsotheywillberequiredtoprovidelessmitigationthan

largerevents.

x Encourageeventsoccurringduringtheoffpeakseason(afterLaborDayandbeforeMemorialDay).Summereventsarefrequentandthecommunitymaybesaturatedwithlargeevents.Rec

pathuseismuchlowerduringtheshoulderseasonssotherewouldbelesstrafficcongestion

plusoffseasoneventswillspureconomicactivityduringtheslowtimeofyearforlocal

businesses.

x Encourageeventsduringtheweekdays.Lessrecpathuseoccursduringweekdays,whichwouldlessencrowdingandcongestion.SummitCountyasawholeistypicallybusyduringpeakseason

weekends,soweekdayeventswouldbeawelcomeboostduringtheslowerpartsoftheweek

for local businesses


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x EventproceedswillprimarilybenefitcharitiesornonprofitslocatedinSummitCounty.x

Event

media

coverage

and

other

public

exposure

will

showcase

Summit

County's

assets.


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DillonReservoirRecreationCapacityAnalysis 2012 2012

28

|

P a g e

Recreation Path Event Scoring SystemRecreationalPathCapacityThresholds ScoringThresholds Score

(1)

Number

of

Participants

Lessthan750Participants=3Points

750or

more

participants

=0Points

(2)WeekendorWeekdayOccursMondayFriday=3Points

OccursSaturdayandSunday=0Points

(3)MaintainsEventFreeWeekendsAvoidsImpactsonEventFreeWeekends=2Points

OccursonanEventFreeWeekend=Negative3PointsPenalty

(4)SingleDayorMultiDayEventSingledayevent=1Point

Multidayevent=0Points

(5)PeakSeasonorOffSeasonOccursafterLaborDayandbeforeMemorialDay=3Points

OccursfromMemorialDaythroughJune30=1Point

OccursfromJuly1throughLaborDay=0Points

(6)PeakHoursorOffPeakHours Occursbefore10AMorafter4PM=1PointOccursbetween10AMand4PM=0Points

TOTALSCOREIftotalscoreisnotgreaterthanorequalto3points,theevent isrequired

todemonstratepublicbenefitaccordingtothepublicbenefitcriteria.


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Recreation Path Event Application Check List andRoute Maps

(1)Estimatednumberorrangeofanticipatedparticipants:_______________

(2)WeekendorWeekday

OccursOnlyMondayFriday

OccursSaturdayandSunday

(3)Istheeventproposedonaneventfreeweekend(seeattachedeventfreeweekendcalendar)?

Yes,itisonaneventfreeweekend

No,itisnotonaneventfreeweekend

Enter

event

date(s):_____________________

(4)SingleDayorMultiDayEvent?

SingleDayEvent

MultiDayEventHowmanydays?_________

(5)

Peak

Season

or

Off

Season?

OccursafterLaborDayandbeforeMemorialDay

OccursfromMemorialDaythroughJune30


30/31

Dillon

ReservoirRe

creation

CapacityAnalysis

2012

30

|P

a

g

e


31/31

Dillon

ReservoirRe

creation

CapacityAnalysis

2012

31

|P

a

g

e

Lake Dillon Capacity Study

Documents