Some Colorado families face uncertain future as Aurora Water advances Wild Horse Reservoir plan in Park County

Aurora Water's proposed reservoir in rural Park County is putting a handful of Colorado homeowners in limbo, as the utility pushes forward with plans it says are critical to long-term water supply.

The Wild Horse Reservoir project would create a 95,000-acre-foot storage system designed to help meet demand through 2075, capturing water from both the Colorado River Basin and Arkansas River Basin, according to project plans from the City of Aurora Water Department.

But for people living where the reservoir is planning to go, the stakes are personal.

"We spent a lot of time making a life here, and now it's going to be taken from us," property owner Josh Kimbrough said.

Kimbrough moved to the Hartsel area for space, quiet, and a chance to rebuild his life with his wife and two kids after traumatic experiences in the Army.

"We belong somewhere quiet. We thrive out here in a quiet peace," Kimbrough said.

Their property sits in a short valley, with breathtaking views of the mountains in a small clearing. That peace is now uncertain.

Aurora Water says the project location shifted south after years of study. The original northern site would have required three dams. The southern option requires just one: cutting costs by tens of millions of dollars, reducing long-term risk and lowering construction risks while requiring no additional pumping to fill the reservoir, and causing minimal wetland impacts, all according to Aurora Water.

"That was the toughest part of the decision," said Assistant General Manager Sarah Young, referencing having to force people from their homes. "We took a long time to make this decision, because of that specific fact, even though from a kind of engineering and risk perspective, it made a lot more sense for our ratepayers."

The agency says the site is also ideal because it connects efficiently to existing infrastructure, including the Otero Pipeline, and helps maintain downstream water obligations, such as flows near Spinney Mountain Reservoir. Project materials also highlight additional benefits, including reduced evaporation at higher elevations and the absence of identified threatened or endangered species at the site.

Still, that decision means displacing several families.

"Crushing disbelief and fear. I worry about (moving) every day," Kimbrough said.

Aurora Water says it is already offering to buy affected properties, even before permits are approved, to avoid leaving residents stuck in uncertainty.

"We want to ensure that if property owners are not interested in being in limbo, that we're honoring that," Young said.

The agency says it is working to relocate homeowners into "equal or better" situations, including potentially offering alternative land that meets their need for privacy, potentially at the first reservoir site planned further north.

"I absolutely do [feel confident]," Young said when asked if real solutions can be found for everyone.

For Kimbrough, starting over is not an option he wants to consider.

"We spent nine years building all this. I am done wanting to build and design and do more construction projects," he said.

The family has proudly finished their homestead, complete with off-grid solar panels and high-efficiency living quarters that help Kimbrough keep a tidy budget on his disabled vet salary. He said Aurora Water has talked about offering him the opportunity to move his home to a new parcel, but that is not a viable solution for his family. 

"Once a modular home is set onto a foundation, it should not be lifted and moved and transported again," Kimbrough explained. 

The project is still in the permitting and pre-permitting phase, requiring approvals at the local, state, and federal levels. If approved, construction would still be years away.

Aurora Water says the need to build is urgent, especially in dry years like this one.

"This project is really underscored by an unprecedented drought and how important it is to provide reliable water supply," Young said.

For now, families in Hartsel are left waiting, caught between Colorado's growing water needs and the lives they've built in the wide-open spaces targeted for change.