On November 18, the Colorado Water Conservation Board authorized the first 2020 Wildfire Impact Emergency Loan to the City of Glenwood Springs. The $8 million loan is for the City’s System Redundancy and Pre-Treatment Improvements Project in response to the Grizzly Creek Fire.
The Fire, which started in September 2020, burned in the watersheds of No Name Creek and Grizzly Creek near Glenwood Canyon. High levels of sediment and debris are expected to wash off the denuded slopes and into the creeks in the coming years. As No Name Creek and Grizzly Creek are the primary sources of water for Glenwood Springs, the City is taking early action to protect against the expected sediment and debris in their water supply.
The first part of the project will install new pumps at the Roaring Fork Pump Station, currently used only as an emergency supply. These pumps, along with a new pipeline between the pump station and treatment plant will allow the City to use Roaring Fork water with more flexibility when No Name Creek and Grizzly Creek have poor water quality. The project also includes construction of a new sediment removal basin to remove as much sediment as possible from the No Name Creek and Grizzly Creek supplies.
