Dredging at Strontia Springs Reservoir will close the popular Waterton Canyon recreation area from Aug. 2 to Dec. 3 and next year from Feb. 28 to Dec. 31.
Denver Water on Thursday announced plans to remove 625,000 cubic yards of sediment that flowed into the reservoir because of rainstorms and after fires, including 2002’s massive Hayman fire. Denver Water said the deposits slated for removal were “enough to fill the football field at Invesco to a height of more than 200 feet.”
Access to the Colorado Trail from Waterton Canyon also will be closed. The nearest access to the trail from Denver will be at the Indian Creek Trailhead on Colorado 67, about 10 1/2 miles west of Sedalia.
The 7,863-acre-foot, 1.7-mile-long Denver Water reservoir, south of Littleton along the South Platte River, is popular with anglers. The canyon is used by hikers, cyclists and horse riders, and is a popular locale for picnicking and viewing bighorn sheep, mule deer and more than 40 species of birds. The Denver Post
