Visiting the upper Fraser River last summer, I made a mental note next time to bring beach towels and sand toys. Giant sandbars stretched across the stream doing its best to carve small channels through the thick sediment.
Each winter, the Colorado Department of Transportation applies approximately 6,400 tons of sand to the west side of Berthoud Pass, which averages an annual 300 inches of snow. CDOT admirably recovers half of this sand with vacuuming and excavation, but a lot ends up in the Fraser, a few yards off Highway 40 across from the entrance of the Mary Jane ski area.
The Fraser is an important fishery and recreation river that starts on Berthoud Pass, then flows through Winter Park and Fraser before meeting up with the Colorado River near Granby. It’s also an important water source. Denver Water sends 12,000 acre-feet of water a year through the Fraser Diversion Canal. Keeping city toilets flushing impacts the Fraser’s ability to flush away sediment from natural-occurring erosion. Add tons of traction sand tainted with motor oil, and the Fraser doesn’t stand a chance.
Trout, and the insects they eat, need cold, clear water with a rocky bottom. Increased turbidity hurts insect and trout reproduction. A habitat inventory conducted by the Division of Wildlife back in 1979 and 1993 compared the Fraser to a similar stream unimpacted by an influx of roadway sediment. Saint Louis Creek had approximately five to 10 times the number of trout, 280 to 700 per acre, versus 70 per acre below the Denver Water diversion structure on the Fraser.
The sediment also impacts Denver Water, which has to flush away the accumulated muck every year before operating its diversion. Downstream, high sediment loads affect the quality of drinking water in Winter Park.
So, I wondered, why not dredge away the sediment choking the river? Simple solution, right? But when you have 14 government agencies involved, nothing is easy.
A sediment-removal project started in 1995 and has yet to see the light of day. Twelve years ago, the Fraser River Non-point Source Pollution Task Force and Winter Park Recreational Association won a $114,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to construct a small pond (roughly 200 by 160 feet) for collecting and removing traction sand. Partners in the project included Denver Water, CDOT, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Grand County, the town of Winter Park, and other entities.
With money from this grant, Denver Water added a pipe to its infrastructure for diverting water around the pond once a year, drying out the pond so heavy machinery could remove sediment. But when CDOT contractors attempted to scoop out the muck, their bulldozer sank to its doors in the soft ground. Everyone was discouraged. Over the next 10 years, the project floundered. People assigned to the cause came and went. Fishery advocates watched in dismay as sediment continued to choke the river. Many believed it was impossible to get a project approved with many government entities involved.
Then, in fall 2006, Holly Huyck, environmental project manager for CDOT Region 1, resurrected the project, bringing to the table $60,000 in matching funds. An engineering firm was hired to redesign the pond, stabilize its bottom, and change the access road so no machinery would drive across Denver Water’s diversion pipe — another show-stopper. Plans call for CDOT contractors to remove deposited sediments within a one-month window when flows are low, and prior to spawning season. Extracted sediment will be taken to a Grand County gravel pit. Wetlands have been outlined. The environmental impact has been minimized.
Project costs are estimated between $200,000 and $300,000. Denver Water already has spent $100,000 on the project, says Kevin Urie, environmental planner for Denver Water.
So far, the plans have “buy-in” from all parties yet haven’t been formerly approved. The final sign-off needs to happen soon. CDOT’s matching funds are contingent on the project moving forward. The targeted completion date is October 2008.
Though derailed many times, there’s reason to hope 2008 will be different. These days, corporations from car insurance companies to carpet manufacturers advertise their environmental good deeds.
Dredging sediment choking the Fraser certainly would be a green feather in the caps of CDOT and Denver Water.
After all, isn’t it a small thing to do for a river that has given so much?
Gretchen Bergen (gretchenbergen@yahoo.com) is a freelance writer in Granby.
