Steamboat prepares to preserve its namesake springs

The railroad has been in place since 1908. The Colorado Department of Transportation and Amtrak have not made any official plans to extend the Winter Park Express train to Steamboat Springs, but state and local officials expressed “optimism” over the project in 2024, according to reporting from the Yampa Valley Bugle.

“I believe that maintaining what’s important both culturally and geologically will be honored,” Berube-Smith said.

Of the 11 known springs on city-owned land, two are co-owned with Union Pacific, said Berube-Smith. In 2024, the committee sought local, state and federal protections for these springs to ensure that it reviews any development within 50 feet of a spring moving forward.

Once AECOM completes its mapping efforts, the committee plans to implement a zoning system to guide future construction. 

Springs will be categorized into red, yellow, and green zones — red indicating areas where no development should occur, yellow requiring caution, and green permitting construction with minimal restrictions.

“How can we make sure we’re protecting our mineral springs moving forward, knowing that in the past, growth and infrastructure have resulted in the destruction of Steamboat’s springs?” Berube-Smith said of the guidelines for the categorization system.

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that the springs, formed between 2,500 and 18,000 years ago, originated from glacial ice melt in Fish Creek Canyon. While Steamboat’s two hot springs open to the public reach temperatures above 100 degrees, the water temperature in most mineral springs hovers around 65 degrees.

Walker noted that even though some locals drink water from the springs, she advises against it due to the likelihood of bacterial contamination.

“But they’re beautiful, and people enjoy them for all kinds of different reasons,” Walker said. “We don’t want them to go away.”

Many of Steamboat’s mineral springs are on private land, presenting another challenge for preservation efforts.

“If we find that these springs are so connected at a certain grade below what we’re digging on city property, that could prompt us to look into additional ways to protect springs on private property,” Berube-Smith said. “But we don’t know what that looks like yet.”

The committee hopes AECOM’s findings will help create strategies for protecting springs outside of city-owned property.

Dagny McKinley, a historian and author who wrote a book on Steamboat’s mineral springs, emphasized their deep cultural significance. Long before settlers arrived, the Ute tribes revered the springs for their healing properties and spiritual importance.

As Steamboat Springs evolved into a premier resort destination, McKinley said, priorities shifted, and the mineral springs became overshadowed by skiing and river recreation.

But these springs ultimately feed into the Yampa River, which eventually flows to the Gulf of California, making them a vital part of the Western water ecosystem.

“For me, the springs continue to be a source of inspiration because we still know so little about them,” McKinley said. “Each spring has its own unique mineral content, and we’re just beginning to understand how they benefit both us and our environment.”

Note: This article was updated Thursday, March 6 at 11:05 a.m. to clarify that development poses a potential — not guaranteed — threat to the mineral springs.