The two boys who drowned in the Little Thompson River Sunday have been identified.
Paul Foreman was 10 years old. His little brother Daniel was 7.
The two were playing near an area of the river in Pinewood Springs known as The Tubs.
“Our sympathies go out to the family who lost their loved ones in this tragedy,” said Lt. Mark Stevenson with the Lyons Fire Department -- one of several agencies to respond to the drowning. “Absolutely the worst [case scenario] we can imagine.”
Stevenson says it’s no surprise water levels are high and dangerous this time of year.
“[Getting washed away] happens so quickly; in the blink of an eye,” he said. “This is when we have the worst hazard available to people that are recreating on the water.”
Stevenson estimates in nine days The Little Thompson River has gotten three times as deep.
“The hazard just multiplies many-fold,” he said.
As it does every year mountain runoff causes levels to rise until about July. But even with the rising water levels the biggest hazard may not be the water itself, rather what's inside it.
“Obviously the flood of two and a half years ago changed the shape of the river bed so what people were used to seeing was totally different,” he explained.
The different terrain means more downed trees, boulders and the currents that churn around them.
“It really is hard to predict where were going to have these increased hazards until we've had a few years to look at them,” he said. “The hazard to anyone getting in the water is extreme.”
Until the waters begin to calm towards the end of June we must respect the danger they pose.
“Nobody can say that it's safe you need to be cautious with you and your family,” Stevenson said.
Water resource agencies say despite higher-than-normal snow totals river levels are expected to peak at levels similar to years past.
