The New Chatfield State Park, Jeffco and Douglas counties

[Tom Wilberding]

Driving around Chatfield today I wondered why are all the new roads, paths, and parking lots SO FAR from the water. Then I scrolled through the following maps showing the future water level, and see that it is very close to the new parking lots. https://chatfieldreallocation.org/project-map/

For example, the Plum Creek Day Use parking lot is shown about thirty feet from the water, not .67 miles as it exists now. When the water will be raised, where the additional water will come from, and how it will affect many trees which will be underwater, I don't know.

I think Chatfield is still a work-in-progress. Hope the final product will be beneficial to birds.

Tom Wilberding
Littleton, CO

[Ira Sanders]

It's my understanding that the water level at chatfield is going to be at that high level maybe, and I repeat maybe, 3 out of 10 years. That of course means you're going to be walking much further to get to the water for 70% of the time.

Ira Sanders

Golden

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+u...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/808a1f9c-50fe-417f-bfae-ab225d977439%40googlegroups.com.

[Joe Roller]

"Chatfield" has gone through three stages:

Stage I, starting in geologic time, long ago, through 1975, when the dam was built and the reservoir

began to fill.

Stage II, from 1975 when water was impounded and the lake filled, until the recent disruptive engineering changes began, aka the "Reallocation Project". Those will be recalled as "the golden years" with much more habitat for birds than ever before.

Stage III, from completion of that project until some other project comes along.

When I moved to Denver in 1974 I strolled along the S Platte River upstream of the looming dam, through what would become the bottom of a big reservoir, dry shod, through dry farmland with a few buildings. No lake, no shore, scant habitat, not much, just the river.

I love Chatfield SP and the habitat that the dam and reservoir created, but try to keep in mind that BEFORE

there was a reservoir, there was a small river through dry land. Things change. I asked Thompson Marsh what 

he thought about the dam and the reservoir, and he observed, "When people move to Colorado, they like to 

have a drink of water and a flush toilet when they arrive." He recognized the reality of the situation.

My two cents,

Joe Roller, Denver

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CABF3siFAz%2BxNKCezEEX1HtW-upjPA0fd3A8BL70ju0W13dXtMA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Bill Schreitz]

First, thank you Tom, for posting the website showing the plans for Chatfield. I attended the District Court session and heard the presentations on both sides of the Chatfield Reallocation issue. Reaching the the proposed future water level depends on three seemingly unlikely sources, only two of which we have any control. Those three are annual precipitation over and above the recent average (specifically made clear in the Court proceeding), improved wise use (both residential & commercial) of our daily use of water, and a reduction of new development of both residential and commercial construction. There is no new water (say from the western slope) that is slated to fill Chatfield, only the excess rain & snow above the usual from the watershed areas that feed the reservoir now.Wise use and development reduction is all we can do.  I would be interested to know when that future water level is projected to be reached. Does anyone know that target year?

[Karl Stecher Jr.]

In the 70s, there was a push to dam up Waterton Canyon.  This led to the best bumper sticker I have ever seen:  Frankly, my dear, we don't need a dam.

 

Karl Stecher

Aurora

 

 

 

---

From: "Joe Roller" <jrol...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2019 3:45 AM
To: "Ira Sanders" <zroadr...@gmail.com>
Cc: "Tom Wilberding Boulder CO" <twilb...@comcast.net>, "cobirds" <cob...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [cobirds] The New Chatfield State Park, Jeffco and Douglas counties

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJpZcUCL%3Dr6h4v7tcpQ68MKz1o-U4T19VQ3HhbopL0VwrqJZxQ%40mail.gmail.com.
 

[Steve Stachowiak]

Cobirders,

Before this thread is closed, there is a bit of a misconception in the previous responses.  According to the CSU Colorado Water Knowledge website, consumptive water use in Colorado is 400,000 acre-feet for Municipal & Industrial and 4,700,000 acre-feet for Agriculture or 11.75 more than Municipal/Industrial.  Maybe we should consider that fact before buy Rocky Ford Cantaloupe or Olathe Sweet Corn grown in semi-arid terrain at what cost?

Good Birding,
Steve Stachowiak
Highlands Ranch, CO

On Sunday, August 25, 2019 at 6:44:37 PM UTC-6, Tom Wilberding wrote:

[maca...@aol.com]

Karl et al-- and the beat goes on... You may or may not know about Aurora's & Colorado Springs' longterm joint water project to put a second dam on Homestake Creek immediately adjacent to the Holy Cross Wilderness Area in Eagle County. Gotta keep up with our endless growth! Currently awaiting approval to do geological test-drills at possible dam sites. If approved and the test-drills are favorable, they'll then need permission from Congress to impact the Wilderness Area. Then full-steam ahead for the dam/Whitney Reservoir within 25 years. Here's a few links:

https://www.aspentimes.com/news/aurora-colo-springs-seek-to-drill-on-lower-homestake-creek-dam-sites/

https://sentinelcolorado.com/news/state-and-region/reservoir-scheme/
https://www.csindy.com/TheWire/archives/2019/07/23/colorado-springs-utilities-plans-new-reservoir

Marty Wolf,

NW Colorado Springs

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/fa05f46f716a48acaa0d6a696fbde806%40idcomm.com

.

[Susan Rosine]

If you lived here and remember the horrible flood of 1965, you are happy for the Chatfield Dam. I lived in Littleton in 1965.
The birds have had to adjust more than once over the decades.
Susan Rosine
Brighton