LOVELAND — One of the first spots to be claimed along Lake Loveland for the July 4 fireworks was on the giant flood-caused sandbar on the south side of the lake.
People have picnicked, created sand castles and even camped there.
“It was just so much fun,” said Barb Jacobsen. “I love that sandbar and the water, but we knew it had to go.”
And go away it will in the next few months as a contractor with heavy equipment will drive onto the dry lake bed and scoop away the sand.
The Greeley Loveland Irrigation District, which distributes the water in the lake, is in the process of selecting a contractor to complete the job, which will be paid for with Federal Emergency Management Agency flood cleanup funds.
Ron Brinkman, general manager of the irrigation district, said: “It does create some issues for water coming into the lake. It almost creates a dam where the water comes into the lake. It just decreases capacities throughout the system.”
The sandbar is a lingering effect of the 2013 flood that washed debris, dirt and sand down the Big Thompson River.
