Gross Reservoir  Community Newsletter

Welcome to Boulder County's Gross Reservoir Community newsletter. This communication is intended to share information with residents of Boulder County impacted by the Denver Water Gross Reservoir Expansion Project.

February 2025                                                                      View as a webpage

Boulder County Gross Reservoir Community Update

It’s been a while since we’ve had news to share! We want to let you know about a couple of items of interest.

Potential Open Space Purchase

Last spring, Boulder County sought input from the Gross Reservoir community on how the “Land Preservation” section of the Denver Water vs. Boulder County Settlement Agreement might be spent.

Section 5.1 of the Agreement provides $5.1 million to acquire land to replace, at least partially, the forested lands and recreation areas that will be inundated with water by the Denver Water Gross Reservoir Expansion project.

The county's Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee (POSAC) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 27, to discuss the "Bearberry" property, a proposed open space purchase using $1.6 million from the Section 5.1 fund.

Members of the public can attend the POSAC hearing–in person or virtually –and comment on the proposed 80-acre three-lot parcel being considered for purchase. Read more about the Bearberry property below.

Phase II (Tree Removal) – Residential Distribution Payments

Conversations with Denver Water staff indicate that the tree removal phase of the Gross Dam construction project will not begin until 2026. Originally planned to start in the fall of 2025, the tree removal plan was amended by Denver Water in the fall of 2024. Proposed changes to the plan were submitted to FERC for approval.

Additionally, Denver Water has not identified a contractor to produce an operational plan or schedule for removing trees. Once we have a better idea of when (and how) Denver Water's plan will be implemented, we will begin recruiting community members to serve on a working group similar to the Gross Reservoir Community Working Group that was formed to advise Boulder County on the Phase 1 distribution payments.

Commissioners’ Town Hall/Community Meeting – Tuesday, May 6

A community meeting will be held at the Coal Creek Canyon Community Center on Tuesday, May 6 from 5:30-7 p.m. The Boulder County Commissioners will be present to answer questions and take comments on any county-related matter.

A meeting reminder will be sent closer to the date. 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

With kind regards,

Barb Halpin
Gross Reservoir Community Liaison
Boulder County Commissioners' Office
Email: grossreservoir@bouldercounty.gov | Tele: 720-564-2830

"Bearberry" Property Proposed as Land Preservation Purchase

POSAC to Review Potential Property Acquisition Using Denver Water Settlement Funds – Feb. 27 (6:30 p.m.)

Boulder County is considering the purchase of 80 acres of land for $1.6M using Section 5.1 Settlement Agreement funds. The proposed "Bearberry" parcel is located near the intersection of Coal Creek Canyon Drive and Peak to Peak Highway.

Read the Bearberry Property staff memo. 

Residents can attend and comment at the POSAC hearing (virtually or in person) on Thursday, February 27, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Gross Reservoir Community Land Preservation Survey

Section 5.1 "Land Preservation"

The Land Preservation section (Section 5.1) was included in the Settlement Agreement to help Boulder County acquire land to replace*–at least partially–the forested lands and recreation areas around the reservoir that will be inundated with water by the Denver Water Gross Reservoir Expansion project.

Denver Water transferred $5.1 million** to Boulder County in 2024 to hold in a designated account for the purposes outlined in Section 5.1. Unspent money from the fund will remain in the county's designated account while county staff pursue additional land acquisition opportunities that meet the community's preferences outlined below.

*Denver Water will also need to replace the loss of recreation areas after the project is completed to comply with the agency's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) permit, separate from the Agreement with Boulder County.

Community Survey

In the spring of 2024, Boulder County designed and released a survey to collect community input on how the county might spend the $5.1 million allocated to Land Preservation. The survey requested feedback exclusively from Boulder County residents impacted by the Denver Water Project. Boulder County sought feedback from impacted residents only because the money was specifically allocated to alleviate impacts from the Denver Water Project.

Results from the survey were posted on the county website and presented at two open community meetings, one in Nederland and the other, virtually, by Zoom.

**Boulder County taxpayer funds are not part of the $5.1 million fund provided in the Settlement Agreement. The funds came directly from Denver Water.

The results of the community survey indicated a preference for land to be preserved as either Habitat Protection or Undeveloped Passive Recreation within the foothills and mountain areas of southwest Boulder County.

Using that criteria, Boulder County staff began searching for properties for sale within the boundaries of Gross Reservoir (east), Coal Creek Canyon (south), Boulder Canyon (north), and Nederland (west). 

A property referred to as the "Bearberry" property was identified by county Parks & Open Space staff as a parcel of land that might fit the bill. The property will first be reviewed at a public hearing by the Parks & Open Space Advisory Committee on February 27. If POSAC moves approval on the Bearberry property, the item will be referred to a public hearing of the Board of County Commissioners (date TBD).

UPCOMING EVENTS

Boulder County Commissioners Town Hall & Community Meeting

5:30-7 p.m., Tuesday, May 6
Residents are invited to join the Boulder County Commissioners for a Town Hall & Gross Reservoir Community Meeting on Tuesday, May 6.

The commissioners will take questions on any county-related matter.

Details & Location

Coal Creek Canyon Community Center

31528 CO-72, Golden, CO 80403

No RSVP Required.

The meeting will be conducted in person (no virtual option).

If you have questions of Boulder County* about the Gross Reservoir Dam Expansion Community Impact Mitigation Fund, please email grossreservoir@bouldercounty.gov.

If this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up to get our Gross Reservoir newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Visit Boulder County's
Gross Reservoir Dam Expansion Community Impact Mitigation Fund website at:
boco.org/GrossReservoir

*If you are looking for Denver Water's website, please visit: www.GrossReservoir.org