Well over half of the drinking water for the Denver Metropolitan Area originates from or flows through our District boundaries. JCD works to protect water quality in streams from excess sedimentation and nutrient runoff.
Streams carry water from the foothills down into reservoirs in the Denver Area
Source-Water Within the District
Multiple Front Range municipal water providers, most notably Denver Water, Aurora Water, the cities of Englewood, Golden and Arvada, and the Standley Lake water providers (the Cities of Westminster, Northglenn, and Thornton), draw their drinking water from reservoirs within, or fed by streams within, the boundaries of the Conservation District. (For a complete list of water providers who depend on streams within our District, click here). JCD’s boundaries cover all of Jefferson, Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties, ranging from urban areas along Sheridan Boulevard in Lakewood, Arvada and Lakewood, to the Continental Divide atop the Front Range between Loveland and Arapahoe Basin ski areas. Spring snowmelt in this area feeds thousands of creeks that converge on major reservoirs on the western edge of the Front Range. A large amount of source-water enters the District from the western side of the Continental Divide through the Roberts and Moffat Tunnels, and from Park County via the South Platte River. No matter where it melts from, most of the drinking water in every home and business in the Denver area passes through our District. Any impacts to water quality or quantity within our borders are transferred to users downstream.
How Does the District Protect Sources of Drinking Water?
To protect the District’s streams, lakes and reservoirs from impacts to drinking water supplies, the District uses a variety of strategies- both in forested upland areas and riverside riparian areas.
Upland Areas
JCD’s forest health program is inextricably linked to protection of drinking water supplies. The greatest detriment to water quality in the foothills is sedimentation, which clogs reservoirs and releases nutrients like phosphorous to water courses. Most sedimentation events occur following catastrophic wildfire. Denver Water recently had to close Waterton Canyon, the outlet of the South Platte River, to operate a 75-ton dredge to remove accumulated sediments from the Hayman and Buffalo Creek fires. Cheesman Reservoir was previously closed for the same purpose. We believe it makes a great deal more sense to reduce sediment impacts before they occur by promoting a healthy forest and reducing the risk of large wildfires in the District.
Riparian Areas
It is also important to protect the health of the stream channels themselves and the riparian area surrounding them. JCD works with private landowners on riparian health treatments like stream bank stabilization and erosion control. These reduce the risk of erosion of the stream bank itself and the transport of nutrient-rich sediments into major reservoirs and water supplies. Nutrients from agricultural runoff can also be contained with erosion control features and appropriate riparian vegetation. JCD is actively exploring new partnerships with landowners and water providers to leverage funding sources to complete this sort of riparian health work.
