Reservoir on Alert, Still Closed: Pueblo Chieftain

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Reservoir on alert, still closed The Pueblo Chieftain Online Select file then print to print this article. Publish Date Tuesday September 25, 2001 Reservoir on alert, still closed By PATRICK MALONE The Pueblo Chieftain http://www.chieftain.com/print.php3?story=2 Lake Pueblo State Park remained closed and on "heightened security alert" Monday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The timeline for reopening the lake is indefinite, according to bureau spokesman Kara Lamb. The lake, which holds Pueblo's drinking water, has been closed to the public since terrorist attacks on Washington, D.C., and New York City rattled the nation two weeks ago. Lake Pueblo is owned by the bureau, which has an agreement with the Colorado Department of Parks and Recreation to operate the lake. Most Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs in eastern Colorado opened to boaters by the close of the past weekend, according to Lamb. She said that only Lake Pueblo and Carter Lake in Larimer County remain entirely closed among Eastern Colorado bureau holdings. Both are "terminal storage" sites where drinking water from the Western Slope is stored, according to Lamb. "It's a security concern," Lamb said. "This is an alert that is reviewed day by day. The security of each facility is assessed on an individual basis." No specific incidents or threats have prompted the prolonged closures at lakes Carter and Pueblo, she said. Unspecified security measures have been taken at Lake Pueblo, preventing access to any portion of the park, according to Lamb. She said it is unknown why Lake Pueblo and Carter Lake remain closed while other bureau sites have opened their gates to boaters. Terry Book, director of operations at the Pueblo Board of Water Works, said no evidence of contamination has been found since the lake has been closed. He said that in addition to the standard testing procedures conducted at the local water treatment plant and its intake source on the Arkansas River, extra measures to detect any possible contamination have been taken. Nothing out of the ordinary has been found, Book said. "Everybody has a little heightened sense of what could happen," he said. "There's been quite a bit of speculation from TV and newspapers that the water supply could be affected, but we've been very cautious and haven't found anything abnormal." Things have been anything but normal for boaters and others who frequent the reservoir for recreation. Lamb said she's been receiving about 50 calls a day from would -be recreation seekers since Lake Pueblo closed on Sept. 11. 1 of 2 9/25/012:14 PM