Many residents near Gross Reservoir (although not ALL residents) recently received the postcard above. It is a notification from Boulder County that Denver Water has submitted their 1041 Application and it gives a response date for comments of October 14, 2020.

THIS IS RIDICULOUS!

The application is 354 pages long and includes references to literally tens of thousands of pages of supporting documentation. It will take weeks for trained specialists to wade through this information - there is no way concerned citizens can be expected to read and understand everything that is being thrown at them. Denver Water also included a cover letter requesting an expedited review of the documentation so that they can meet federal permit requirements.

What you can do now - SEND A NOTE TO THE COUNTY!

Email them at grossreservoir@bouldercounty.org AND at commissioners@bouldercounty.org. Tell them that:

1. This project will have a devastating effect on Boulder County. Expediting the review is not acceptable.

2. The application and supporting documentation is poorly organized and very difficult to analyze. It can not be quickly reviewed.

3. The county must not rush. DEMAND that the public comment period needs to be extended for at least an additional 30 days.

If you want to dig into the details...

Bookmark the Boulder County Gross Reservoir Dam Expansion webpage dedicated to this project. You can click on the red button on the right side of that page to signup to get emails about the expansion.

There is A LOT of history and information on that website. Here are the critical links for what is happening right now:

1. Boulder County 1041 Regulations - actually Article 8 of the Land Use Code. This is what Denver Water's application is supposed to be meeting.

2. Denver Water 1041 Application (354 pages)

We will be sending out additional information and actions to pursue as we have time to get through the application and understand the process going forward. Note that there will be multiple public hearings held sometime in the future. We will need everyone of you to participate and speak against the expansion. Boulder County is our best bet for STOPPING this project. Contact us at info@SaveBoulderCounty.org with questions.

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10/7 UPDATE FROM BOULDER DAILY CAMERA!

Community members can now share comments about Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir expansion project proposal, which is being reviewed by Boulder County.

Although a postcard sent to property owners near Gross Reservoir said public comment about the proposed expansion project should be in by Oct. 14, county staff clarified that community members can comment at any point until the Boulder County Board of Commissioners makes a final decision.

The current Oct. 14 deadline is for referral agencies and even that may be pushed if enough agencies request an extension. If an extension is granted, a new postcard will be sent to property owners, according to Boulder County.

While Boulder County spokesman Richard Hackett said it’s helpful to have community comments in early, he stressed there is no official deadline or cutoff. Some adjacent property owners, such as Timberline Fire Protection District, also are referral agencies on the project, which Hackett said is part of the explanation for the postcard’s wording.

No public meetings or hearings have been scheduled yet, but the county will announce them to its Gross Reservoir Expansion Project news list. People who want to receive emailed or text messaged notifications can sign up at bit.ly/33qkERL.

Meanwhile, community members can submit questions or written comments to grossreservoir@bouldercounty.org.