July 24, 2015 VO LUM E 1 3 | IS S U E 38 | FREE
July 29 • Red Rocks The music of
SCAN FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN! or enter online at: coloradocommunitymedia.secondstreetapp.com/ABBA-Tickets
ParkerChronicle.net D O U G L A S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Recreation coming to reservoir Public access to Rueter-Hess will follow master-plan process
T
he long wait for public access to Rueter-Hess Reservoir is almost over. It was more than 10 years ago that Parker Water and Sanitation District customers overwhelmingly approved a $100 million bond issue to fund the construction of the reservoir on Parker’s western edge. An original plan to build a reservoir with the capacity for 12,000 acre-feet of water was expanded to 75,000 acre-feet when the water district found local partners in 2008. Ron Redd, district manager for Parker Water, said a recent analysis revealed that the excavation of dirt and rock to build the dam added another 3,000 acre-feet of storage space.
Ron Redd, center, leads a tour of Rueter-Hess Reservoir for county dignitaries June 30.
Story and photos by Chris Michlewicz cmichlewicz@coloradocommunitymedia.com
The opening of the Hess Road connection to I-25 allowed more residents to see for the first time a growing body of water that was once referred to as a puddle, and before that as an expensive hole in the ground. Shortly after decision makers began discussing the need to capture and store water from wet years for use in dry years — instead of allowing that water to go downstream — they also talked about possible recreation at RueterHess Reservoir. PROPOSED Those discusACTIVITIES sions became a lot more seriAllowed ous in 2015, and words will soon • Canoeing/kayaking turn into pur• Fishing poseful actions.
Partnering up
• Walking/hiking/ running
The first sign • Camping that recreation was coming to • Possibly fireworks Rueter-Hess came in the form Prohibited of, well, a sign. • Motorized boats Earlier this year, the water district • Motorized bikes hung a placard • Swimming on a locked access gate to the reservoir near Hess Road and Newlin Gulch Boulevard. It simply said: “Interested in Rueter-Hess Recreation? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.” The Parker Water and Sanitation District will partner with the town of Parker, Castle Rock, Douglas County, Castle Pines and Lone Tree to provide recreational opportunities to the public. Roughly half
Susan Saint Vincent, who will help oversee recreation at Rueter-Hess Reservoir on behalf of the Parker Water and Sanitation District, talks about possible future activities. of the entities have already approved an intergovernmental agreement to form an authority that will oversee recreation at the reservoir. “Every one of these communities has experts in parks and recreation, and part of my job is to realize what we’re not good
at,” Redd said. “We’re good at water and wastewater. We don’t have any experience in recreation.” Jim Cleveland, director of Parker’s parks and rec department, said he is thrilled at the chance to be involved. He said the partners share a vision for what
the reservoir could be. “It’s not often you get to add a recreational jewel like this in your backyard,” he said. “We’re making it happen as quickly as possible.” Reservoir continues on Page 4
RUETER-HESS RESERVOIR BY THE NUMBERS $200 million — Cost for expanded reservoir
21,100 —
Acre-feet of water being stored
1,170 acres — Surface area of reservoir
185 feet — Height of the dam
17 —
Miles of trails upon project’s completion
7—
Human remains found during construction