Summit County Citizens Voice

Most of the water flowing in high country streams already goes to the Front Range, and a plan by Denver Water to expand a collection system in Grand County would also affect the Blue River.

Summit County residents will have a chance to comment on the proposal at Jan. 7 meeting; public comment period extended through March 1, 2010.

Meeting information:

Time and Date: 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010 
Location: Beaver Run Conference Center, Peak 17 Conference Room 620 Village Road, Breckenridge, CO 80424

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Local citizens and water experts will have more time to scrutinize a Denver Water proposal to increase diversions from the high country.

A draft study shows that Denver Water’s plan to expand its Grand County Moffat Collection system would also have impacts to the Blue River in Summit County.

The Public comment period on the plan has been extended through March 1, 2010.

In addition to increased diversions from the Fraser River, Denver Water would also take between 4,000 and 5,000 acre feet of additional water from Dillon Reservoir each year.

Flows in the Blue River, where it meets the Colorado near Kremmling, could be cut by as much as 4,800 acre feet annually — about 2 percent of the river’s flow, according to figures released in the draft study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers .

Denver Water project manager Travis Bray said those figures apply at full build-out of Denver Water’s existing system, and with the Moffat Tunnel fully on-line.

Bray said the draft study shows there would only be a negligible long-term impact to boating and no impact to fisheries in the Blue River. As part of the planning for the project, Denver Water is also proposing mitigation, including money for habitat and water quality improvements.

A local meeting to take input on the plan has been rescheduled for January 7.

The draft environmental study for the project is online here.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official notice for the Summit County meeting is here.

Summit County commissioner Karn Stiegelmeier said that, even though the impacts appear small when considered individually, the cumulative impacts warrant a close look by Summit County.

Conservation groups also are examing Denver Water’s plan, with an eye toward the greater ecosystem of the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Although 2 percent doesn’t sound like much, peak flows are important for the river’s ecosystem, according to Becky Long, water caucus organizer with the Colorado Environmental Coalition.

“If the project goes forward, the Blue River would see reduced flows in the summer months during wet and average years,” she said. The peak flows in wet years help flush sediment out of the river, create new habitat and support rafting and kayaking, Long said in a previous interview.

Environmental goals
Conservation groups have identified several broad environmental goals that should be included in the project’s mitigation plan, including:

— Adequate baseline flows in the Fraser throughout the year to sustain fisheries and recreation,

— Sustained peak flows at key times of the year to mimic a natural flow regime and ensure the health and resilience of the river,

— Aggressive urban water conservation and efficiency measures to save more water, such as incentives for homeowners to replace Kentucky bluegrass with drought-tolerant landscaping. More than half of residential water use goes to watering lawns, and

— Ongoing monitoring of the river’s health and a mitigation plan with the flexibility to adapt to changing conditions.