July 30, 2010 - For years Denver Water has opened its Waterton Canyon property to public recreation. Over the next 18 months, however, the utility needs to close the area to recreational use so the canyon road can be used for its main function — to serve as a vital access road to Strontia Springs Reservoir.
Denver Water will be dredging the reservoir to remove at least 625,000 cubic yards of sediment that has built up following forest fires and intense rains, and the canyon road essentially will be a six-mile-long construction site during this project. The dredging is necessary to maintain water quality and avoid operational challenges that could impact Denver Water’s service to its 1.3 million customers in the Denver metro area. At the completion of the project, Denver Water will reopen the canyon and once again invite the public to enjoy this popular recreational amenity.
“On high-use days, there are more than 2,000 visitors to Waterton Canyon, ranging in age from small children to older adults,” said Neil Sperandeo, manager of recreation for Denver Water. “This large-scale project will require heavy machinery and equipment in the canyon. We considered other alternatives to the dredging project, as well as ways to keep the canyon open during construction, but in the end, we determined it is in the best interest of public safety to close the road.”
Waterton Canyon will be closed as follows:
- Monday, Aug. 2, 2010 through Friday, Dec. 17, 2010*
- Monday, Jan. 31, 2011 through Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011*
*These dates have changed from original posting.
Neither the parking lot at the canyon's entrance nor the canyon will be accessible during the closure. Access to The Colorado Trail (CT) from Waterton Canyon also will be closed during these times. The next closest access to CT Segment 1 is via the Indian Creek Trailhead on Colorado 67, 10.5 miles west of Sedalia (see www.ColoradoTrail.org).
The project will cost more than $30 million. This amount will increase if additional material is removed.