It’s “GO TIME” on the fight to stop the expansion of Gross Reservoir.
Last Friday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced that they are postponing release of their “Record of Decision” about the Gross Reservoir expansion project until sometime in 2017. We believe there is only a slim chance that the Army Corps will deny the project, and so we are gearing up for the inevitable legal fight and need your help! This is a grassroots effort so we need the help of every single person that cares about conservation, saving west slope rivers from decimation, and maintaining the pristine beauty of Gross Reservoir as is!
We’ve put several important pieces of work in place to make sure your donation gets the job done to fight this project in court.
We’ve teamed up with Save The Colorado and a few additional environmental groups to create a coalition that will fight in court.
We’ve retained an attorney and a small team of scientists to ensure that our legal fight is as strategic and well-informed as possible. This team is fighting dams around the U.S. and is professional and experienced.
We’ve submitted dozens of pages of technical and legal comments to the Army Corps to make sure our lawsuit has the best chance to win.
We’ve put together a fundraising plan to see the court battle all the way through to the end, likely for 2 or 3 years.
We’ve set up an ear-marked bank account, the “Boulder and Colorado River Legal Defense Fund” (BCRLDF), to which all people and groups fighting the expansion can donate to fund the lawsuit.
We believe we have a strong chance to
win the lawsuit and stop the expansion!
With all of your support, TEG has fought to stop the expansion of Gross Reservoir for over 10 years now, and we’re ready for the last leg of the fight in court. As you all know well, the Gross Reservoir expansion would have serious negative impacts to our community. The expansion would:
Last 5 years and be the largest construction project in Boulder County history;
Force tens-of-thousands of tractor-trailer trips up Coal Creek Canyon and many down Magnolia Road from Nederland;
Require the large-scale use of explosives to blow up a mountain on the shores of Gross for materials;
Clear-cut 200,000 trees, with some use of “hydro-axing” and helicopter logging;
Cause significant noise and air pollution from construction;
Inundate a substantial area of forest lands including Forsythe Canyon and waterfall;
Cause wetlands destruction;
Disrupt migrating elk, cougars, and newly resident moose;
Cause the loss of 5 acres of two globally rare foothills riparian shrubland communities;
Cause the loss of 1 acre old growth ponderosa pine forest;
Cause the reservoir to have fluctuating water levels, revealing a larger denuded wasteland as water goes up and down every year;
Cause significant negative impacts on the home values and quality of life of nearby residents;
Cause huge disruptions for the many Boulder County residents and visitors who recreate on the existing reservoir, in the surrounding Boulder County Open Space and National Forest lands, and along South Boulder Creek;
Be inconsistent with Boulder County’s Comprehensive Plan, including Critical Wildlife Areas and the Walker Ranch/Upper Eldorado Canyon Environmental Conservation Area;
Cause South Boulder water quality to be impaired with low temperatures and more heavy metals pollution;
Cause large greenhouse gas emissions from construction and operation of Gross Dam and Reservoir; and,
Be incompatible with the vision to “re-wild” South Boulder Creek and restore the ecosystem.
Even worse, Denver Water doesn’t need more water – they can focus on water conservation and other alternatives to meet their water needs.