A Closer Look at Proposed Chatfield Expansion

    The Denver Post published a pretty good story about the Army Corps of Engineers $100 million plan to expand Chatfield Reservoir, so that the blight of water-challenged cities such as Castle Rock and Centennial can continue to march across Colorado. According to the Statewide Water Supply Initiative Report, Denver-area water use in 2030 will exceed supplies by 22 percent, as developers insist on building in low-water areas.
    The planned expansion will add 12 feet of water and completely tank the marina, the beaches, the old shoreline cottonwoods and some 60 species of birds who currently nest along shore.
    But wait...there's more. Guess who gets to pay for this $100 million plan? The developers who insist on building in dry areas? No. Of course not silly. The end users of new growth, i.e. owners of the new homes? Nah.
    You do. Yes, that's right. Current metro area water bill payers will foot the note for the project. And, if they are floating a $100 million pricetag now, you can bet the actual cost of completion will be higher.
     Want more good news? Read Denver Direct's intelligent take on the project, and the potential of deadly cancer-causing rocket fuel contamination caused by the nearby Lockhead Martin/USAF plant. The story is at Denver Direct is written by Adrienne Anderson who served on the University of Colorado at Boulder faculty from 1993-2005, teaching environmental investigation and ethics courses. Also, the blog Coyote Gulch
has been closely following the proposed Chatfield expansion.