Denver and state leaders are weighing in on an April 3 ruling that halted construction on Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir Expansion Project, with Denver’s mayor calling it “deeply concerning” and Colorado’s governor seeking to “fully understand the (decision’s) impact on Coloradans and our precious water supply.”

Read Denver Water's statement on the April 3 ruling.

The expansion project, which entered the permitting process following Colorado’s devasting 2002 droughts, will nearly triple the storage capacity of the reservoir northwest of Denver by raising Gross Dam, work that is nearly 2/3’s complete. 

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The project addresses the critical need to shore up a reliable water supply for 1.5 million people in Denver and surrounding communities. It does so by providing badly needed water storage capacity on the north side of Denver Water’s system to guard against drought, wildfire, and other natural and human-caused disasters. 

However, federal Judge Christine Arguello, with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, issued a ruling April 3 that halted construction on the project, despite 23 years of careful planning and permitting involving Denver Water and multiple local, state and federal agencies. Denver Water is appealing the ruling.

Understanding how important this project is to Denver Water’s customers and the metro area, Denver and state leaders are weighing in on the project and the April 3 ruling: 

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston 

“Denverites, businesses and visitors depend on reliable, clean and safe drinking water every day. The completion of Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir Expansion Project means that Denver and its surrounding communities will have the necessary water security for years to come. Halting the reservoir’s expansion is deeply concerning, and I am hopeful that Denver Water can get back to work and complete this critical project.” (April 4, 2025)

Colorado Governor Jared Polis

“We are reviewing this decision to fully understand the impact on Coloradans and our precious water supply. This decision comes as the project is more than halfway completed, and after decades of work, it is important that there is a resolution that protects this water resource for Coloradans.” (April 8, 2025, on X with a link to a Fox31 news story about the April 3 court ruling.)

The Denver Post Editorial Board

“… Denver Water should prevail on appeal because the utility has spent decades painstakingly complying with federal environmental law — checking every box — and has spent millions in remediation on both sides of the divide for the environmental impact of expanding the dam.” (April 9, 2025, The Denver Post editorial.)

Cynthia Lane, Manager of the Platte Canyon, Southwest Metro, Columbine and Bow-Mar water and sanitation districts and Chair of the Denver Water Distributor Forum 

On behalf of the 61 distributor districts served by Denver Water, and the 770,000 people we serve, we share with Denver Water a collective, steadfast and decadeslong commitment to responsibly securing a reliable, regional water supply by way of the Gross Reservoir Expansion Project. The recent court ruling to halt the project — decades into the making through diligent planning and permitting — puts our customers and the entire metro area at unnecessary risk at a time when water security is becoming even more critical.

With our watersheds and neighborhoods already under the year-round threat of devasting wildfires and our weather patterns increasingly marked by uncertainty and extremes, the Gross Reservoir expansion provides our neighbors and customers with the best protections now, while also supporting our vibrant communities for decades to come. Knowing this project has been subject to years of rigorous, repeated and diligent review at local, state and national levels, we believe this critical project must move forward to completion — for the benefit of our customers and our communities. 

Colorado Concern President & CEO Dave Davia 

“We are disappointed to see this ruling come at this point in the construction process at Gross Reservoir.  This legal delay will only make water more expensive for the rate payers at a time when we already have an affordability crisis in Denver. Further, this project is critically important to ensure we can meet the demand for water in the Denver metro region given the area’s growth of 38% since 2000.  We support Denver Water and commend them for their foresight to address these needs and look forward to a positive outcome for this project.”