Bear Creek Canyon residents are protesting a planned $8 million dam near one of Jefferson County’s most popular mountain parks – concerned the project will ruin the area’s scenic vistas.
The Genesee Water and Sanitation District intends to build a 100- foot-tall concrete dam and reservoir this spring off Colorado 74 between Kittredge and Idledale, across from Lair o’ the Bear Park.
The reservoir will store water for residents of Genesee, an affluent foothills community perched above Bear Creek Canyon.
“They’re basically going to be mooning us down in the canyon,” said Pat Osborn, a Kittredge resident.
Other dam opponents say the project could be built for half the price at a different location that was ruled out by the district.
District officials, however, say the current site’s proximity to its intake pipe on Bear Creek and the water treatment plant makes it the best option.
“I understand their concerns about aesthetics, but the fact is, we’re trying to be good neighbors,” said Stewart McNab, chairman of the district’s board of directors.
Opposition to the plan is being organized by the Genesee Residents for Intelligent Progress, a group led by Galen Knickel, one of the community’s original developers.
“I worked very hard to try to find a better way to develop,” Knickel said. “But this project is just a slap in the face.”
Knickel said the district was rash in dropping a property called the Ralston site from its list of possible locations.
That remote site, Knickel said, could support an earthen dam few would see from their homes. It could also be built for about $4 million, Knickel said, citing an estimate obtained from an Englewood construction company.
Norman Ralston, the 92- year-old property owner, has agreed to provide the acreage needed for a reservoir in exchange for an undetermined number of water and sewer taps if the land is developed, according to Knickel.
McNab said that the district never has had any direct contact with Ralston and that regardless, the property wouldn’t be suitable for a reservoir because a pipeline would have to be built.
“I think you’ve got to consider the associated operating expenses of a pipeline, and they’re just too high,” said Bruce Strand, one of the district board’s vice presidents.
Strand and McNab say construction could start next spring on the reservoir, which will hold up to 40 million gallons – almost as much as Cherry Creek Reservoir.
Kate Mondragon of the Kittredge Civic Association questions whether Genesee residents considered the impact on their canyon neighbors.
“They’ll get more water to wash their BMWs and Lexuses, while we’ll get stuck in traffic behind the cement trucks kicking up dust,” she said.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-820-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
