TEG Colorado

03/18/2026

https://youtu.be/hQG8DxdZFxo

They stacked 131 feet of fresh concrete on top of a dam that's been standing since 1954. Not beside it. On top of it. This is the story of the world's larges...

08/27/2025

Hi All,

Note the cost of Gross Dam is also discussed in this article about the dam project in Fort Collins:
https://coloradosun.com/2025/08/27/northern-integrated-supply-project-cost-2-7-billion/

Denver Water has seen construction costs on the Gross Dam expansion project surge $34 million, according to spokesman Todd Hartman, with a current price tag for construction alone at $565 million, up from $531 million in 2021, when the contract was signed. But the total cost of the project tops out at $819 million when counting other costs including environmental mitigation.

The $819 million Gross Reservoir project total has recently been published in the agency’s budget, but has not been widely cited as the true cost. The fate of the project is still up in the air — federal courts have allowed dam construction to continue for safety reasons, but a federal district court judge declared the construction permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to be illegal because of inadequate environmental reviews.

The cost of the sprawling Northern Integrated Supply Project around Fort Collins soared to $2.7 billion, scaring off a key customer and forcing a cutback.

07/24/2025

https://waterdesk.org/2025/07/as-gross-reservoir-rises-boulder-county-residents-grapple-with-projects-legal-turmoil/ As Gross Reservoir rises, Boulder County residents grapple with project’s legal turmoil

Pieter Strauss used to love hosting stargazing parties at his house in the Lakeshore Park neighborhood up Flagstaff Road southwest of Boulder. The hobbyist astronomer would fire up the barbecue and spend hours showing his neighbors the night sky through his observatory and telescopes. Strauss’s ....

05/15/2025

We are entering into what looks to be a lengthy appeals process with Denver water committed to taking it all the way to the Supreme Court. Two generous, anonymous donors have committed to making your contribution even more meaningful through July 4. The first thousand dollars in donations will be matched two for one, meaning $20 becomes 60, 50 becomes 150 and so forth. After that donations will be doubled up to another $9000.

https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/3Q42CNVDSWUY4

Please also consider joining our annual meeting this Saturday May 17 5 to 7 at the CCCIA Hall in Coal Creek Canyon for a pizza party and further updates.

05/13/2025

Editorial to Daily Camera on Gross Dam Lawsuit
By Beverly Kurtz

The media coverage over the recent ruling by Federal Court pausing the construction of a larger dam at Gross Reservoir is missing critical details. Denver Water touts the fact that they spent many years getting all the permits they needed, jumping through the required hoops. The lawsuit, which was filed in 2018 by a coalition of SIX environmental groups, was filed against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It contends that the Corps did not follow the law in analyzing Denver Water’s permit application. Indeed, the court found that the Corps violated both the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act by not adequately considering less environmentally damaging alternatives and failing to demonstrate that the dam expansion was the "Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative" as required by law. There were 42 alternatives suggested for addressing the stated purpose and need of DW’s application, yet only 5 alternatives were considered and ALL involved expanding the reservoir. Denver Water wanted to build a dam – and the Corps was good with that.

The court also underscored the inadequacy of the Corps’ analysis of climate change concerns. Although it acknowledged climate change, it failed to quantify or analyze how it would affect water availability for the expanded reservoir, which could jeopardize the project’s sustainability. Most of the water in Gross comes from the Fraser River, a major tributary of the Colorado River. No consideration was given to the long-term effects of this on the Colorado River as climate change exacerbates water scarcity. While the seven Colorado River states are trying to agree on future management of declining water in the basins, Denver Water is frantically building up their storage capacity for water that may not even be available. They undertook construction even though this project was under litigation. They now claim they must finish it to make it safe. Experts testified as to that allegation in the hearing last week. The judge has already ruled that the Army Corps and Denver Water broke the law. We’ll see in the next court actions what the consequences of that will be.

05/13/2025

Come Celebrate With Us!

Join us for our annual membership meeting this Saturday, May 17th, 5-7 pm at the CCCIA Hall in Coal Creek Canyon (31528 CO-72, Golden, CO 80403) to celebrate how far we've come in the fight on Gross Dam, a Q&A on where the lawsuit is currently at, and what's coming up for TEG this year. We'll provide pizza and family friendly drinks, so please RSVP to let us know how many folks to expect!
Going All the Way

After a 9 hour hearing on May 6th at Federal District Court in Denver we will be awaiting the Judge's final decision regarding the construction of the dam itself after the last briefs are filed. We'll talk more about the hearing and what may happen next on Saturday, so please join us!
Meanwhile Denver Water has already committed to bringing this case to the Supreme Court if that's what it takes to build their dam. After 20 years of fighting this ill conceived project, and now with the District Court's rulings in our favor, we have every intention of meeting them there. So we are kicking fundraising into high gear!
Two generous, anonymous donors have committed to making your contribution even more meaningful through the 4th of July. The first $1,000 in donations will be matched two-for-one, meaning $20 becomes $60, $50 becomes $150, and so forth. After that donations will be doubled up to another $9,000 meaning $20 becomes $40 and $50 becomes $100. Will you help us match these offers by Independence Day for a grand total of $21,000?

Donations can be made online, or via check: TEG, PO Box 7532, Boulder, CO 80306. We'll also be accepting donations in person at the membership meeting this Saturday!
The TEG Board:
Teagen - from Magnolia
Sheila - from Lazy Z
Scott - from North Shore

05/02/2025

Come Celebrate With Us!

Join us for our annual membership meeting and this year's celebration of how far we've come in our fight against Gross Reservoir over the last two decades! Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 17th, 5-7 pm at the CCCIA Hall in Coal Creek Canyon. Join us to celebrate our recent win in Court with pizza and family friendly drinks, and learn what happens next. Please RSVP to let us know how many folks to expect!

04/09/2025

Judge Issues 14 Day Stay

Late Sunday evening the Court issued a 14 day stay to its preliminary injunction on any further construction on Gross Dam, but refused Denver Water's request for a stay pending their appeal. "The Court will not allow Denver Water to relitigate issues it has already lost on before this Court" stated Judge Arguello in her ruling. You can read another piece on this decision on Colorado Politics.

According to Denver Water this means: "First and foremost, we will continue working in the area to make sure the dam and construction site are safe and adhere to maintenance needs. Additionally, we are currently under a 14-day stay allowing us to continue with construction activities. What happens following that is still unknown and very fluid as we go through the legal process to appeal the decision. No matter what, we will make sure that we are following any court orders."

The next date on our calendar will be the in person hearing in District Court in Denver sometime in early May during which the Judge will hear arguments from experts on both sides as to what must be done to stabilize the dam. You can expect a follow up email from us closer to this date!
Join Us for Our Annual Meeting!

It's that time of year again! Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 17th, 5-7 pm at the CCCIA Hall in Coal Creek Canyon. Join us to celebrate our recent win in Court, discuss what comes next for TEG, and connect with fellow residents. Please RSVP to let us know how many folks to expect!
Upcoming Hearing on Development

On April 22nd the Boulder County Commissioners will be voting on new text amendments to the Land Use Code in response to concerns with house sizes increasing, the rate of change by which they are increasing in unincorporated Boulder County, and how these increases impact neighborhood character, sustainability, and affordability. The County is proposing to reduce the allowable residential floor area (for new construction and additions) from 125% of the neighborhood median to 100% of the neighborhood median, with exceptions ranging from 675 sq ft for residences between 3,001 sq. ft. and 4,500 sq. ft. up to 1,000 sq. ft. for residences less than or equal to 1,500 sq. ft. A one time 200 sq. ft. addition is also allowed across the board. (These are above and beyond the neighborhood median limitation.) An easy to read summary of the proposed changes can be read here.
In meetings thus far there has been a significant representation from architects and land owners building their dream homes, who oppose these reasonable restrictions on development. What has been missing from hearings is a decent representation of residents who value affordability, sustainability, and particularly in the mountains, a respect for the natural, undeveloped space between neighbors. If this is important to you, please consider attending the BCC hearing on April 22nd at 1:30 pm either in person or virtually. More information will be provided at this link closer to the hearing date.
Land Purchase

Both the Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee and Boulder County Commissioners unanimously voted to purchase the Bearberry parcels at the west end of Hwy 72 for Parks and Open Space with money allocated under the Denver Water Settlement Fund. This leaves a remaining $3.5 million in the fund for land acquisition. There is a possibility that Gilpin County in the future will buy the parcel from Boulder that is on the Gilpin side of the County line. If that should happen that money will be returned to the Settlement Fund for future land acquisition. At the end of the hearing Commissioner Loachamin noted that she hoped the land would be open to public use. The 30 minute recording of the hearing can be watched here.
The TEG Board:
Teagen - from Magnolia
Sheila - from Lazy Z
Scott - from North Shore

If you're passionate about monitoring the Gross Dam Project, holding Boulder County and Denver Water accountable, or another local environmental issue please consider joining the TEG board: [email protected]
View this email in your browser
Facebook
Twitter
Link
Website
Copyright © 2025 The Environmental Group, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.

Our mailing address is:
The Environmental Group
PO Box 7532
Boulder, CO 80306

04/04/2025

WE DID IT!!! GROSS DAM EXPANTION IS SHUT DOWN!!!
WE SAVED THE TREES!!!!

Summary of Legal Finding — Order on Remedies (Case No. 1:18-cv-03258-CMA)
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado – April 3, 2025
Judge: Christine M. Arguello

Background

The court had previously (Oct. 16, 2024) ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ("the Corps") violated several federal laws—Clean Water Act (CWA), Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)—in approving the expansion of Gross Dam and Reservoir by Denver Water. Petitioners (environmental groups) and Respondents (the Corps, Department of the Interior, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Denver Water) were then asked to submit remedies for these violations.

Key Findings

1. Remand with Vacatur Ordered

The court vacated the Corps' Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), and Section 404 Permit for the Moffat Collection System Project. This means:

The Corps must redo its environmental analysis from the ground up.

The permit for the dam expansion is invalidated.

2. Preliminary Injunction on Further Construction

All further construction on Gross Dam is halted until a hearing determines what construction, if any, is necessary only for safety and stabilization of the current (60% completed) dam structure.

3. Permanent Injunction on Gross Reservoir Enlargement

The Court permanently prohibits:

Enlarging the Gross Reservoir.

Cutting down trees, diverting water, or disrupting wildlife related to the enlargement.

Legal Reasoning

A. Why Vacatur is Appropriate

Using the Allied-Signal test, the Court found:

The Corps’ actions had serious procedural and substantive deficiencies, including:

Improperly defined project purpose that constrained the range of alternatives.

Dismissal of at least 19 potentially viable alternatives without analysis.

A flawed cost analysis.

A failure to account for climate change impacts on water yield.

Allowing construction to continue would cause ongoing environmental harm, and prior construction does not justify continuing an unlawful project.

B. Why Injunctive Relief is Justified

The environmental harm is irreparable, and legal remedies like monetary damages are inadequate.

The hardships to Denver Water (financial costs and delays) were deemed self-inflicted due to ignoring public warnings and legal risks.

The public interest strongly supports NEPA compliance and proper environmental analysis.

Next Steps

A hearing will be scheduled (dates offered: April 22–25, May 5–9, 12–14, 2025) to determine what limited construction may be allowed for safety reasons.

Parties are expected to present expert testimony on dam safety and stabilization needs

10/18/2024

We've Won!!

After decades of fighting the Gross Reservoir Expansion Project the Federal District Court in Denver today issued a ruling in our favor! Judge Arguello found that the Army Corps of Engineers violated both the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when they issued Denver Water their permit.
This is the day we've imagined for so long when we can finally say "Against all odds we've won!" This is a testament to everyone who has poured their heart and soul into fighting this project, especially our many former TEG board members, and all of you who spent time writing numerous comment letters, turning up at 4+ hour Country Commissioner hearings, and donating year after year to fund our amazing legal team. Thank you!

“This is a stunning victory for the Colorado River, the people of Boulder County, and the rule of law,” said Gary Wockner of Save The Colorado (the lead co-plaintiff).

Over the coming weeks we will review Judge Arguello's opinion in more detail with our fellow environmental co-plaintiffs to determine the best steps as this case moves into the remedy phase.

03/08/2024

Mark Your Calendars for a Pizza Party with TEG!

Join us for an annual update from TEG, including the status of the lawsuit with the Army Corps of Engineers.
Please RSVP
We'll also have a special guest to speak about herbicide use in Boulder County and the County Commissioner's upcoming hearing on the issue. We'll finish off with pizza provided by TEG and a chance to chat with like minded mountain neighbors!

We hope to see you:
Sunday, April 14th from 4:30-6 pm
Coal Creek Canyon Improvement Association (CCCIA) Hall
31528 Hwy 72

The TEG Board:
Sheila - from Lazy Z
Teagen - from Magnolia
Scott - from North Shore
Brenda - from Lazy Z

If you're passionate about monitoring the Gross Dam Project, holding Boulder County and Denver Water accountable, or another local environmental issue please consider joining the TEG board: [email protected]