Higher water flows are expected along Cherry Creek late this afternoon after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened gates at Cherry Creek Reservoir this morning.
The actual flushing began at 9 a.m. today as the first of four main outlet gates at the dam was opened, the Corps said.
The first gate was to open for one hour; the remaining three gates then were to open for 30 minutes each.
Flows ranged from 300 cubic feet a second to 1,300 cubic feet a second. For comparison, flows last night were at 50 cubic feet a second.
The operation was set to be completed by 11:30 a.m.
High flows take some time to reach the downtown channel of Cherry Creek, and the flows from the last gate opened won’t reach Lower Downtown until late this afternoon, the Corps said.
The high flows will cause higher than normal creek levels and the potential flooding of bike paths and stream crossings. The release urged people not to try to cross the creek during that time.
The sediment flushing is an annual event. The heavy water flow scours the sediment near the gates, allowing them to work properly.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com
