Wildlife Officials Taking Comment On Dam Proposal

DENVER (AP) - Colorado wildlife commissioners want to hear from the public on a proposal by Denver's water utility to enlarge Gross Reservoir in Boulder County.

Denver Water has said that even after additional conservation efforts, it projects it will have an annual shortage in supply of about 18,000 acre-feet of water by 2030. One acre-foot can supply about two single-family households for a year.

Its proposed Moffat Collection System Project would raise the height of Gross Reservoir so it could store an extra 72,000 acre-feet of water diverted from the Fraser and Williams Fork river systems.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing a final environmental impact statement on the proposal.

Colorado wildlife commissioners plan to hear public comments on the proposal Jan. 20. They could potentially seek to mitigate impacts on wildlife.

In December, Division of Wildlife biologist Ken Kehmeier told wildlife commissioners the project would reduce stream flows and raise temperatures in the Williams Fork, Fraser and Upper Colorado River systems, which could hurt their ability to support aquatic insects and fish.

It also would send more water down South Boulder Creek, which could hurt its ability to support trout, Kehmeier said.

Denver Water has said it came "perilously close" to running out of water in the Moffat Collection System during the 2002 drought. It says the project would help ensure its water supply and reliability and reduce vulnerability in its collection system.

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