LAKEWOOD —Cleanup work at has been ongoing since the flooding, which pushed the lake 50 feet above normal levels.
Drew Sprafke, Lakewood’s regional parks supervisor, said the Army Corps of Engineers anticipates water levels will return to normal in mid-October.
“The repairs and cleanup will likely extend into 2014, but we are unable to assess that at this time,” Sprafke said.
While many park areas are still flooded, more than 100 volunteers showed up Oct. 2 to help clean up debris. A notice posted Oct. 2 indicated shore fishing is allowed “at your own risk” at Bear Creek Reservoir, “but boating is still not permitted.”
City crews have removed the worst of the debris out of parking lots.
Sprafke said because the flood washed down a lot of litter out of the creek, those were areas of concentration for volunteers.
He said they also worked on fixing trails that got washed out.
Trail damage occurred to the Mount Carbon, Owl, Fitness, Cottonwood, Fisherman’s, Cowen and Turkey Creek trails.
“We have begun repairs on the Owl and Mount Carbon trails, but the other trails are still flooded and inaccessible,” Sprafke said.
Sprafke said any debris that was litter would go to the landfill. But any reusable woody debris was dispersed for wildlife habitat.
“If it’s more trashy, then we dispose of it in the trash or chip it,” Sprafke said.
Sprafke said the challenge after the flood was coordinating work on facilities and infrastructure.
Sprafke said, “We didn’t know how far the water would rise.”
Work included removing supplies, getting picnic tables latched so they didn’t float away and securing boat docks that broke free. Pit toilets were pumped to prevent contamination in the reservoir. Water came from and above.
“There was likely some contamination from runoff into the reservoir; however, it is impossible to assess and should be significantly diluted and flushed through by now. We are still cleaning up a significant amount of debris and litter that washed down,” Sprafke said.
He said damage estimates have been revised downward from $370,000 to approximately $285,000, but he added that number would probably change since so many areas are still flooded.
Brian Nielsen, Lakewood’s environmental services manager, said the Rooney Valley Law Enforcement Training Center shooting range located off Rooney Road and Interstate 70 sustained soil erosion.
Nielsen said the current estimate of flood damage at that site is $80,000, an increase of $30,000 over initial estimates.
According to Nielsen, a request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been made.
“We hope that some or all of the damages we recorded will be covered under the recent county disaster declaration,” Nielsen said.
Karen Groves: 303-954-2303, kgroves@denverpost.com
