At recent Carbondale Board of Trustee meetings, members of the public have brought forth concerns about pollution accumulating beneath the Veteran Memorial Bridge. That bridge, connecting Carbondale with Highway 82, has long attracted homeless campers and gained extra attention in the fall of 2023 when a large group of migrants was found to be sheltering in the vicinity.
A man from Basalt told the trustees on April 8, “I spend quite a bit of my time fishing the Fork, it’s my very favorite trout river in the world, and the changes I’ve seen down there under the bridge are really kind of heartbreaking.” He continued, “It seems like there’s nobody out there that really wants to address the problem, and that’s really concerning to me.” He said he’s seen littered spray paint cans, discarded plastic, broken bottles, beer cans, even “an abandoned love seat” scattered from the hillside to the water’s edge. He concluded, “It’s not what I think of when I think of Carbondale.”
A mix of jurisdictions makes policing the spot difficult. The Town of Carbondale is responsible for law enforcement within town limits, south of the bridge and at the nearby Gateway RV Park. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) controls the Bob Terrell State Wildlife Area with river access and associated parking. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) governs the Highway 133 right-of-way and therefore the bridge itself.
Garfield County is tasked with patrolling unincorporated areas of the county and was given authority by CDOT to charge campers with trespassing. “Problem is, can’t put people in jail for that level of trespassing,” Sheriff Lou Vallario told The Sopris Sun in October of 2024. It’s unlikely the demographic they may cite would even show up for court, he added. Vallario suggested sealing the area from access as a possible solution.
David Johnson, the owner of Crystal Fly Shop in Carbondale, invited the Carbondale trustees to “take care of this problem, once and for all” at their regular meeting on March 25. He said, “Squatters have come and gone, and more have come again, and whoever the latest group is, they always leave more trash and show no respect for our public property or its users.” He urged the Town to stop “enabling” homeless camps and left them a box of trash bags, stating, “I feel you share in the responsibility for this situation and you need to see the problem first hand, and you need to put in some time and help volunteer.”
Johnson offered to join the trustees in personally cleaning up for “hopefully the last time we need to do this.” When The Sopris Sun followed up a few weeks later, he had yet to hear back.
“The fishing and white water communities want to see an end once and for all to the camps and the pollution and the vehicles getting broken into and we want everyone to feel safe when using this resource,” Johnson had stated, referencing an assault reported last year.
On July 25, 2024, a 59-year-old man told the Carbondale police that he and a friend had been fishing and were approached by a group of unknown men at the boat ramp “who began throwing rocks at them without provocation,” Police Chief Kirk Wilson relayed to The Sopris Sun. “The victim sustained injuries to his knee and head before loading his boat and leaving the area that evening.” No suspects were identified.
“We strongly encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses a crime to contact law enforcement immediately. Prompt reporting gives officers the best opportunity to identify potential witnesses, gather evidence and take appropriate action,” Wilson added.
According to John Groves, Carbondale district wildlife manager for CPW, “That’s the only real instance I’ve heard of any issues on that end.” However, “There’s always trash in the river. Are there concerns? Yeah. Where are these folks necessarily bathing or defecating?” He said there’s a trail beaten from beneath the bridge to a portable toilet provided at the boat ramp, “So I know they’re using that.”
Groves said, “Having one standard around there would be helpful, instead of a hodgepodge of different entities.” He thought a Memorandum of Understanding between the county, town, CPW and CDOT would provide helpful guidance for enforcement. “So there’s one standard so if we’re seeing issues we can address it and not let an issue prolong that impacts the surrounding area — basically the trash raining down onto the boat ramp that I end up having to deal with later on.”