The Basalt Police Department is warning people not to be environmental do-gooders if they find suspicious looking bottles in the midvalley section of the Roaring Fork River.
Eight additional bottles sealed with duct tape have been found in or along the river since the Basalt Fire Department fished out 14 bottles by the 7-Eleven Bridge in Basalt on Jan. 24, according to Basalt Police Sgt. Aaron Munch. In addition, five bottles were found prior to last Wednesday, some as far back as summer 2017, according to reports that have been coming in to the police.
That means at least 27 suspicious bottles have been found in the past six months or so.
Authorities suspect the bottles were used in what’s known as the cold-cook method of making methamphetamine, Munch said. Samples have been taken from several bottles and shipped to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for testing.
Meanwhile, authorities fear there are more bottles in the river between Basalt and Ranch at Roaring Fork, the lowest point where they have been found to date. Once fishing, rafting and other river-related activities pick up this spring it is likely that more bottles will be found.
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