Colorado - The Board of Water Commissioners for the City and County of Denver (Denver Water), is looking to meet growing water demands by increasing it's water supply out of South Boulder Creek, and potentially impacting one of Colorado's classic Front Range Creek runs.  Denver Water has applied for a project permit from to the US Army Corps of Engineers who is currently drafting an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyize alternatives for Denver Waters supply project.  Each of the five alternatives analyzed in the draft EIS include an enlargement of Gross Reservoir which will flood the lower section of Upper South Boulder Creek, located in Boulder County, Colorado. 

Denver Water's Gross Reservoir is part of a hydropower project licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 2001.  While Denver Water operates Gross Resevoir for water supply purposes, hydroelectric power is generated as an ancillary benefit when water supply operations require releases from the reservoir.  While information about the impacts of the Gross Reservoir enlargement project will be reviewed by the Army Corps EIS, Denver Water is soliciting comments on the propsed changes to the FERC license (FERC # 2035-030). 

Unlike the EIS process, whereby the public will provide comments on the draft document to the Army Corps once it is released, the FERC process requires Denver Water to gather comments on any proposed changes to the FERC license before drafting their license amendment application.  Comments recieved by Denver Water on the changes to the hydropower license will help Denver Water craft their final FERC amendment application.

Denver Water has released a Pre-application Information Document (PAD) which provides information about the options for amending its FERC license associated with the enlargement of Gross Reservoir.  This enlargement project will require that certain facilities within the FERC Project Boundary get relocated, including roads, trails and other recreation facilities.

Comments from the public and agencies on the proposed changes to the FERC license will help determine if further information is needed before the final FERC license amendment application is submitted.

Comments on the proposed modifications to Denver Water's FERC license at Gross Reservoir are due by Monday,  September 29th, 2008. Comments should a) identify issues, b) idnetify information needs, c) request studies with regard to the proposed modifications to the FERC license at Gross Reservoir.

Comments should be addressed to:

Denver Water

Travis Bray

1600 W. 12th Ave.

Denver, Colorado 80204

To access the Pre-Application Document use the document links at right.