Gross Reservoir Expansion Project
Environmental Review Process
As a federally permitted project, the purpose, need and environmental impacts of the project have been vetted through almost a decade of research. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released the Final Environmental Impact Statement in 2014 that details project mitigation measures and addresses public comment received after publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Like many water supply projects, there are a number of permits at the federal, state and local level that are needed before construction can begin:
401 Certification
- Also a component of the Clean Water Act of 1972, 401 Certification is a process handled at the state level. In the case of the Gross Reservoir Expansion Project, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is responsible for evaluating the impacts of and ensuring water quality associated with this project.
- Secured: June 2016
Record of Decision and 404 Permit
- A major responsibility of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is administering the permitting program under Section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, also known as the Clean Water Act. Permit review and authorization is a thoughtful and lengthy process that encourages avoidance of impacts, followed by minimizing impacts and, finally, requiring mitigation for unavoidable impacts to the aquatic environment.
- 404 Permit
- Secured: July 2017
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Hydropower License Amendment
- The Gross Reservoir Dam includes a 7.6 mW hydropower unit, which is licensed for operation by FERC. Under the Federal Power Act, FERC has exclusive authority to license non-federal hydropower projects. The amendment of license process requires that FERC address both the economics and engineering issues and the potential environmental and socioeconomic effects of project development and operation.
- Denver Water expects to receive the License Amendment in 2020.
Latest News / Blog
Learning By Doing 2019 Annual Report
February 20, 2020 - Grand County Learning By Doing Annual Report release. Grand County Learning By Doing Cooperative Effort (LBD) has a goal to maintain, and where reasonably possible, restore or enhance the aquatic environment in the Fraser, Williams Fork, and...
A new chapter in an epic ‘Fish story’
February 14, 2020 - TAP - ""We did what we said we were going to do 20 years ago, when this program began, and it worked,” said Travis Bray, an environmental scientist at Denver Water who praises the sweeping collaboration among dozens of organizations that have...
As forests burn around the world, drinking water is at risk
AP - January 30, 2020 - "Canberra’s water utility has built in redundancies in case of fire, such as collecting water from three watersheds instead of two, and it can switch among sources if necessary, said Kristy Wilson." "Denver Water, which serves 1.4 million...
Habitat resurrection means aquatic love connection
TAP - Jan 22, 2020 - "The work wrapped up in October and the results are exciting — both for the fish and for the biologists who track them. “The level of spawning that we observed almost immediately after completion of the reclamation work was extraordinary,” said...