News: Environmentalists Suck – Gross Reservoir

Gross Reservoir, built in 1954, owned by Denver Water, and located in Boulder County, Colorado holds 95 million cubic meters of drinking water for the city of Denver and surrounding area, and is a popular spot for fishing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and camping. However, since 2017, it has become known for its legal battle against environmentalists as they seek to raise the level of the dam by an additional 131 ft, which would double the reservoir’s storage capacity, making it the tallest dam in Colorado, allowing Denver Water more flexibility in water management, particularly during droughts and wildfires. Because of this, the dam’s expansion project, which was supposed to be finished this year, has now been pushed out to 2027 and we have yet another example of environmentalists not using their brains, but their emotions to make life harder for everyone.

But first, some backstory. Gross Reservoir had been built to be a phased project, never technically being completed, with an expected two new additions being added when the need arose. The first phase was completed in the 1950s but talks of a second phase started in 2002 when Denver Water saw that it needed additional storage in its North System. The recent historic drought and massive Hayman fire had taken their toll and Denver saw that unless they had more space to store the water, the entire system would be at risk, as it only makes up 10% of the utility’s total storage capacity.

Thus, Denver Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers got to work and after an in-depth review of over 300 options, they finally settled on a plan. They agreed that expanding Gross Reservoir not only would fit Denver Water’s needs but would also be the “Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative” as it would not only provide water security to the Front Range, but would also decrease vulnerability due to environmental disasters, like droughts, floods, and wildfires. It would be a win for the people of Denver and the surrounding environment.

After coming to this decision, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would spend the next several years researching the area and releasing statements to the surrounding communities about the environmental impacts (which mainly had to do with the trees, vegetation, and habitat they would need to remove for the expansion) and getting permits for the dam expansion. However, several groups of environmentalists didn’t like this (Save The Colorado, The Environmental Group, Wildearth Guardians, Living Rivers, Waterkeeper Alliance, and the Sierra Club), and in 2018, sued the USACE, claiming that they had violated the Clean Water Act (the very act which had allowed them to do this expansion), the Endangered Species Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

The suit was eventually dismissed in 2021, but that wasn’t the only problem USACE and Denver Water had faced. In 2019, Boulder County announced that it would require Denver Water to obtain a land use permit under Colorado law before commencing with the project, which they eventually got. However, that doesn’t mean that all Denver Water and USACE’s problems were done.

On April 3, 2025, a federal district judge issued a remedy order, ceasing construction. The judge then granted a 14-day stay, which acted as a window for work to continue. Denver Water was then forced to go to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal to extend the stay and the request was granted until further notice from the court. On May 9th, the federal district judge also lifted the injunction on the expansion project.

Though this was good news and on the surface means that expansion can continue, the judge did not lift the injunction on filling the expanded reservoir (which can take over a decade and it has already risen a little over 80 feet) and the tree removal that would make expansion possible. This has forced Denver to once again go to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in an attempt to lift this injunction.

This type of case is yet another example of environmentalists not really caring about the environment but rather caring more about getting money. The expanded reservoir, while it would be temporarily disturbing the environment during its construction, would be a net good for man and beast alike, providing the residents of the Front Range with water and providing more flexibility to deal with flooding, droughts, and fires, all of which negatively affect everyone and everything.

But I suppose when you want money in the name of environmentalism, you don’t care how much more is lost due to natural disasters supposedly caused by climate change, nor do you care that a water department has to spend half a billion dollars (and potentially more) to build a dam.

Until next time,

M.J.