For residents living near the 33rd Street river put-in, it's becoming anything but that.

Speeding vehicles, illegal parking, traffic jams, deafening music, littering and public drinking have become common occurrences in her neighborhood, said Bobbie Carll, who lives across from the put-in at 3244 East Third Ave., on Friday.

"It's not safe for our kids or our pets," she said.

Residents in the area met with city officials, including Durango Parks and Recreation Director Cathy Metz and Durango Chief of Police David Felice, in late August to voice their concerns.

And the Animas River Task Force - represented by commercial rafters, fishermen, environmentalists and other river users - took up the problem at its meeting Wednesday.

In response, the city is considering a multifaceted approach that could include creating additional river access points, providing public transit shuttles to run from the 33nd Street put-in to off-site parking areas, and increasing patrols during summer months. Metz said she understands residents' concerns.

"In their perception, use in that area is increasing and is causing impacts to their quality of life," Metz said in a phone interview Thursday. "So they wanted to bring that to the city's attention and ask for us to consider some solutions."

Task force members agreed that the goal is to put an end to the party atmosphere - which is not only ruining neighbors' summers, but is dangerous to the partyers themselves - without stopping people from enjoying a float down the river.

Task force member John Brennan said that at the height of the summer, intoxicated tubers are routinely rescued from Smelter Rapid.

"It's Darwinism at its best. The inner tube is the single best way to die on the river. Period," he said at the meeting.

Although the 33rd Street put-in has been used for years by kayakers and commercial rafters, the number of tubers - people who float down the river on inner tubes - appears to be growing considerably, said Metz.

They are drawn to the river in July and August, when the water is lower and slower, and the temperature of the air and water is warmer.

Carll said that although commercial rafting buses often "fly down the street," the tubers are the ones who blatantly break open-container laws, throw trash in the street, change their clothes in plain sight and play loud music.

"They're intimidating about it to the point where you don't want to say anything or they'll come back and egg your house," she said.

Metz said that next summer the public can probably expect stricter enforcement of open-container laws.

"The new chief of police wants to look at increased patrol Memorial Day through Labor Day," she said.

Self-described "river guy" Greg Snyder was already taking action Friday afternoon.

Having pulled into the 33rd Street put-in to go tubing with Katie Stapula, who recently moved to Durango from Chicago to attend Fort Lewis College, he picked up trash littered at the site before they got in the water.

"He was mad," said Stapula.

Whereas experienced rafters educate newcomers to the sport about river etiquette, Snyder said, "anybody can grab a tube and jump on the river."

"You've got to respect what's around you."

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