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New Denver Area Dam Expanded For Growth

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Sep 5, 2008 5:58 pm US/Mountain

New Denver Area Dam Expanded For Growth

Written by Paul Day
Reporting
Paul Day
PARKER, Colo. (CBS4) ― What began as a modest sized water project will be enlarged to become the largest reservoir to be erected on the Front Range in some 40 years.

It's called Rueter Hess Reservoir, and it's being built by Parker Water and Sanitation District.

"The growth in Colorado is not going to stop. It's not going to stop on the Front Range and it's not going to stop in this area," said Frank Jaeger, District Manager of Parker Water.

Jaeger pegs the price tag of the enlarged project at $180 million and says it underscores the importance of a reliable water supply in a semi arid climate.

A small earthen dam is already built along Newlin Gulch, 3 miles southwest of Parker. Plans call for using the small dam as a foundation for the new dam, which will be more than 60 feet higher and will have a storage capacity of 72,000 acre feet.

An acre foot can supply the annual water needs of between two and four homes, depending on the size of the residence.

Rueter Hess will be filled with storm runoff. The water stored there will be used to extend the life of underground municipal wells.

"Rueter-Hess is testament to a new way in which we will manage a very short supply of water that we have here in the west," explained Sen. Ken Salazar.

Salazar joined more than 100 people gathered at the dam site to dedicate the expansion of the reservoir on Friday.

Parker will own most of the storage capacity in Rueter Hess, but Castle Rock, Castle Pines North and Stonegate will also share in the project.

If this is a model of metropolitan cooperation, then other challenges lie ahead.

"It's great to have storage," said Bill Santos, president of the Castle Pines North Metro District. "But now we need water to put in it and a way to get that water here."

Rueter Hess won't solve all the area's water problems, but it is a critical tool for managing resources 50 years into the future when it's estimated 400,000 homes will depend on the reservoir.

The five-member Board of Parker Water paid special tribute Friday to Jaeger for his work in spearheading the project over two decades.

The new dam will officially be designated the Frank Jaeger Dam when it's finished in 3 years.

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