Running head: BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 1
Bear Creek Watershed, Colorado
Brian Rasmussen
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 2
American Military University
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 3
Bear Creek-Deer Creek drainage divide area. United States Geological Survey map digitally
presented using National Geographic Society TOPO software.
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Table of ContentsBear Creek Watershed, Colorado....................................................................................3
Historic Use and Development............................................................................................3
Climate and Weather............................................................................................................4
Hydrology............................................................................................................................5
Water Quality.......................................................................................................................6
Municipal Water Development............................................................................................7
Irrigation Water Development.............................................................................................8
Dams....................................................................................................................................8
Water Allocation Law..........................................................................................................9
Water Management Agencies............................................................................................10
Drinking Water Treatments................................................................................................11
Recycled and Waste Water Treatments..............................................................................12
Wildlife and Fish Resource Importance............................................................................12
Water Use Conflicts...........................................................................................................13
Economics..........................................................................................................................14
Water issues.......................................................................................................................15
References..........................................................................................................................16
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 5
Bear Creek Watershed, Colorado
The Bear Creek watershed is a 236 square mile area that includes all tributaries that
discharge into the 110 acre Bear Creek Reservoir just west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its
two major tributaries are Bear Creek and Turkey Creek (Bear Creek Watershed Association,
2014). It is an important water source as well as a place for recreation for Denver and Colorado
Springs.
Historic Use and Development
(Colorado Tourism , 2012)
Historic use of the Bear Creek Watershed includes recreational boating, fishing, camping,
off-road motor recreation, bicycling, hiking, flood control, water quality filter, and serves as a
water reserve for Colorado Springs and Denver (Bear Creek Watershed Association, 2014). It
also serves as the last remaining habitat for greenback cutthroat trout along a four mile stretch of
Bear Creek (USDA Forest Service, 2013). This specific conservation endeavor involves many
agencies including the Rocky Mountain Field Institute (RMFI), U.S. Forest Service, Colorado
Springs Utilities, and the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (RMFI, 2015).
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Bear Creek Lake was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is a major
flood control reservoir (UDFCD, n.d.). This is an essential part of the flood control plan as there
have been 24 instances of floods in the Bear Creek Basin since 1860 (UDFCD, n.d.). These
floods resulted from rain runoff from summer monsoons in the summer months or snow melt
following spring rains. Flooding has caused serious property damage and erosion.
There is also another dam constructed along the main stem of Bear Creek above Cub
Creek and forms a 40 acre lake, known as Evergreen Lake that impounds 670 acre-feet of water
(Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, 2013). Evergreen lake is not used as flood control,
but mainly as a recreational lake.
Climate and Weather
Colorado Springs is considered a semi-arid climate, is located east of the Rocky
Mountains and has approximately 300 days of sunshine per year (Colorado Climate Center,
2010). Average annual precipitation is about 16 inches per year, including 43 inches of annual
snowfall. There are large temperature swings between day and night. Summer days average
around 84°F and will cool quickly with severe afternoon thunderstorms (Colorado Climate
Center, 2010). Summers can also experience some tornados. Winter can get as cold as -10°F,
but averages around 28°F. The thin atmosphere allows higher penetration of solar rays, making
even cold winter days more pleasant. Winters are often affected by the Chinook winds; when a
shallow layer of cold air is present and the warmer westerly winds blow under that layer to the
surface (Colorado Climate Center, 2010). This results in 20-35°F temperature swings in a short
amount of time (Colorado Climate Center, 2010).
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 7
Hydrology
(Groundwork Denver, 2015)
Surface. Surface water in the Bear Creek Watershed include Bear Creek, Turkey Creek
and Mt. Vernon Creek as well as Bear Creek Lake and Evergreen Lake (UDFCD, n.d.). These
are generally rain-runoff and snow-melt-runoff fed.
The Bear Creek Watershed Association estimated that in 2013, the total estimated annual
discharge was about 49,973 acre-feet into Bear Creek Reservoir. They also estimated it had
about 45,726 acre-feet flow through as well as approximately 4,246 acre-feet of evaporation and
infiltration (Bear Creek Watershed Association, 2014).
The Bear Creek flow diverts into the Harriman Ditch in Morrison. Turkey Creek flow
also diverts for water uses. The Bear Creek flow also diverts into the Arnett-Harriman ditch
during the irrigation seasons which reduces lower Bear Creek Flows below 10 cfs during the
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 8
operational season. These ditch systems often completely dewater the lower Bear Creek for up
to 15 days at a time. 2013’s Bear Creek water usage diversions reduced flow to the reservoir by
approximately 9 % or 4,331 acre feet (Bear Creek Watershed Association, 2014). Many of the
longer time trends show a declining flow trend in Bear Creek. (Bear Creek Watershed
Association, 2014)
Groundwater. The groundwater enables the recharge of the surface waters in the
watershed and regional groundwater runs from east to west down from the Rocky Mountains
(USDA Forest Service, 2013). The local soils commonly have a large amount of bentonite and
allow for expansion. There is also granite, Louviers Alluvium, Pre-Piney Creek Alluvium, and
Piney Creek Alluvium layers in the soil (Birkeland, Shroba, R., Burns,S., Price, A., & Tonkin, P.,
2003). This allows for some penetration of water down to the bedrock. Once it hits the bedrock,
gravity pulls it down into the basin.
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 9
Water Quality
(Groundwork Denver, 2015)
The Bear Creek watershed is threatened by both point and non-point source pollution
from trash, oil, grease and nutrient pollution. The Lower Bear Creek area is considered
“impaired” due to E.coli contamination and the plan is under review for approval by the
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (Groundwork Denver, 2015). It
provides sewer and water to many areas including most of the Greater Denver area, CO.
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 10
Municipal Water Development
Municipal Water (Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District, 2014)
The municipal water development of Bear Creek watershed is owned and maintained by
the Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District. This is an integrated part of the larger consecutive
system that delivers water to the Greater Denver area (Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District,
2014). The water is moved by pipes and then stored in both above and below ground reservoirs
and is run through water treatment plants that treat the water for use by the public. This system
consists of over 3000 miles of underground piping (Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District,
2014). Colorado favors pipelines as the primary transportation source of water to municipal
development areas (Hobbs, 2004).
Irrigation Water Development
It is no longer legal to divert water from tributaries or rivers, even if it crosses an owner’s
property (Hobbs, 2004). There are many laws that require an in-depth research to find the
rightful owner of the water and much litigation to allow any diversions of water for any reason
(Hobbs, 2004).
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 11
Dams
(Unknown, n.d.)
Bear Creek Dam is located on the southwest side of Lakewood, CO, at the confluence of
Bear Creek and Turkey Creek. Dam construction was authorized in 1968 and was finally
completed in 1982. The dam was constructed in two segments that included the south and main
embankments (USACE, n.d.). It holds a multi-purpose lake that covers 110-surface acres,
storing 2,000 acre feet of water to create Bear Creek Lake (USACE, n.d.).
Water Allocation Law
(Hobbs, 2004)
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As water is in short supply in the Southwest, there are many laws and treaties regarding
the allocation and distribution of those resources among the different states.
For Colorado specifically, there is a primary doctrine. The Colorado Constitution uses a
legal framework for surface water appropriation known as the priority doctrine. It states that
during times of drought, domestic water use has priority over any other purpose. This doctrine
also establishes agricultural priority over manufacturing use. This applies to all surface water in
rivers and tributary groundwater that connect the river basin (Hobbs, 2004).
Users that have senior rights have greater rights during drought times and are able to fill
their requirements before those with junior, or later acquired, rights. Or “First in time=first in
right” (Hobbs, 2004). These senior rights are considered abandoned if they are not exercised at
least once in a 10 year period (Hobbs, 2004).
Water Management Agencies
(Groundwork Denver, 2015)
Bear Creek has several agencies that have an interest in this area. The Bear Creek Water
and Sanitation District is the primary operator for this watershed and responsible for the
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 13
distribution system. They coordinate with contractors when necessary for any upgrades or
maintenance that needs to be done. Bear Creek is also part of an integrated and consecutive
system with Denver Water (Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District, 2014).
Denver water produces the annual water quality report that is required by the federal EPA
and the Colorado Department of Public Health. Other entities that are interested include the
National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the USDA and the USGS (USDA Forest
Service, 2014) as this also falls under the protection of NEPA.
Bear Creek Watershed also supplies Colorado Springs with water and the Colorado
Springs Utilities is also a player.
As this watershed covers some unpopulated areas, the Colorado Division of Wildlife
(CDOW) and the U.S. forest Service (RMFI, 2015) is involved in protecting the habitat of
species including endangered or threatened species. The Colorado Association of Conservation
Districts (CACD) monitors resources across the state (USDA Forest Service, 2014). The Bureau
of Land Management has over watch on privately owned land that falls in this area as well.
One agency that surprised me was FEMA is involved due to an ongoing flood damage
repair project resulting from the floods of 2013 (Angler's Covey, 2014).
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 14
Drinking Water Treatments
(Water Denver, 2015)
Bear Creek is a valuable source of drinking water for the Denver area. The Marston
Treatment Plant treats all water from this watershed and distributes it to the Denver area. It uses
a conventional process consisting of coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection
processes (Water Denver, 2015). These different stages allow them to meet or exceed all state
and federal Safe Drinking Water Act requirements. It can process up to 250 million gallons a
day.
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 15
Recycled and Waste Water Treatments
(Water Denver, 2015)
The majority of the waste water is recycled for industrial purposes or outdoor irrigation in
parks and other public places (Water Denver, 2015). This recycling allows the reservoirs to be
focused on providing drinking water rather than irrigation. The recycle plant treats using
biologically aerated filtration, coagulation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection to meet the
state regulatory requirements (Water Denver, 2015).
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 16
Wildlife and Fish Resource Importance
(Mitchell, 2012)
The Bear Creek Watershed is an important habitat as fish and wildlife habitat. This is
especially evident as it is the last remaining wild habitat for the greenback cutthroat trout which
is Colorado’s State Fish (RMFI, 2015). The trout are being restocked from the Poudre State
Hatchery and the Leadville National Fish Hatchery (Angler's Covey, 2014).
Water Use Conflicts
Conflicts (unknown, n.d.)
Some water use conflicts in the Bear Creek Watershed include the split usage of water for
irrigation, recreation, stormwater management, and drinking water. These are adjudicated by the
Colorado Groundwater Management Act and overseen by the Colorado Ground Water
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Commission (CGWC) and agreements between the metro and rural water districts (Colorado
Division of Water Resources, 2015).
Economics
Mitigation (USGS, 2013)
There is little available actual dollar amounts that are accessible to the general population
regarding monies spent to mitigate problems, although there are several websites that outline
flood and other mitigation issues. There are several robust programs for grants like the Flood
Mitigation Assistance Programs and Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Programs for different states
to use to mitigate these threats (Colorado Water Conservation Board, 2015).
There are charges of almost $5,000 for each single family home as a tap fee. Stub-in and
inspection fees for a single family residence run about $300 (Bear Creek Water & Sanitation
District, 2010). This covers the connection to the system and sewer. Reclamation sewer tap fees
run almost $4,000 for a single family residence (Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District, 2014)
(is money being spent to mitigate a problem, any charges for water use and treatment, etc.),
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 18
Water issues
Issues (Robels, 2013)
Some existing water issues include flash flooding, sedimentation, and chemical pollution.
Sedimentation that is deposited into the Bear Creek Reservoir causes decreased water quality and
can kill native vegetation, fish and wildlife (Bear Creek Watershed, 2014). During flashfloods,
up to 2 cubic yards of mud are deposited daily (Bear Creek Watershed, 2014)
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 19
References
Angler's Covey. (2014). Update: Bear Creek Watershed Restoratio Project. Retrieved March 14,
2015, from Angler's Covey:
http://www.anglerscovey.com/blogs/anglers-blog/2014/8/13/update-bear-creek-
watershed-restoration
Bear Creek Water & Sanitation District. (2010). Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://www.bearcreekwater.org/images/10Jan01_Water_and_Sewer_Tap_Permit_Fee_Sch
edules.pdf
Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District. (2014). 2014 Permit and Fee Schedule. Retrieved
March 28, 2015, from http://www.bearcreekwater.org/feescharges.html
Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District. (2014). Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District.
Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.bearcreekwater.org/water.html
Bear Creek Water District. (2014). Water Quality. Retrieved March 14, 2015, from Bear Creek
Water and Sanitation District: http://www.bearcreekwater.org/waterquality.html
Bear Creek Watershed. (2014). Bear Creek Watershed Fact Sheet 3: Sediments and Water
Quality. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://bearcreekwatershed.org/Fact%20Sheets/Fact%20Sheet%203%20BCR
%20Sediment%20and%20Water%20Quality.pdf
Bear Creek Watershed Association. (2014). Bear Creek Watershed Association. Retrieved
February 13, 2015, from http://www.bearcreekwatershed.org/
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 20
Birkeland, P., Shroba, R., Burns,S., Price, A., & Tonkin, P. (2003). Integrating Soils and
Geomorphology in Mountains-An Example from the Front Range of Colorado. (B.
Elsevier, Ed.) Geomorphology, 55, 329-244.
City of Colorado Springs. (2012). After the Fire-Flooding Information. Retrieved January 24,
2015, from City of Colorado Springs Official Website:
http://www.springsgov.com/Page.aspx?NavID=4488
Colorado Climate Center. (2010). Learn about the Climate of Colorado. Retrieved February 13,
2015, from http://climate.colostate.edu/climateofcolorado.php
Colorado Division of Water Resources. (2015). Colorado Groundwater Commission Home.
Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://water.state.co.us/groundwater/cgwc/Pages/default.aspx
Colorado Tourism . (2012). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://coloradotourisminfo.blogspot.com/2012/08/denver-mountain-parks.html
Colorado Water Conservation Board. (2015). Flood. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://cwcb.state.co.us/water-management/flood/Pages/main.aspx
Groundwork Denver. (2015). Bear Creek Watershed Plan. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://groundworkcolorado.org/projects/bear-creek-watershed/
Hobbs, G. J. (2004). Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://www.bearcreekwater.org/links.html
Mitchell, P. (2012). CENTRAL COLORADO, LEADVILLE AND CLIMAX. Retrieved March 14,
2015, from Marpeg: http://marpeg2.blogspot.com/2012/08/its-time-to-leave-
leadville.html
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 21
RMFI. (2015). Bear Creek Watershed Project. Retrieved February 13, 2015, from Rocky
Mountain Field Institute: https://www.rmfi.org/projects/bear-creek-watershed-pikes-peak
Robels, Y. (2013). Denver Post. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_24093109/floods-stressing-water-treatment-issues-
could-still-loom
UDFCD. (n.d.). THE BEAR CREEK DRAINAGE BASIN. Retrieved February 13, 2015, from
UDFCD Flood History: http://www.udfcd.org/FWP/ebb/bear_history.html
Unknown. (n.d.). Playle.com. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://www.playle.com/listing.php?i=AHA4268
unknown. (n.d.). v2load.com. Retrieved from http://www.v2load.com/videos/hW5okKn4J-A/
Urban Drainage and Flood Control District. (2013). Bear Creek Watershed Assessment & NEPA.
Retrieved February 13, 2015, from http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/home/?
cid=STELPRDB5397304
USACE. (n.d.). U.S. Corps of Engineers. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/DamandLakeProjects/TriLakesProjects/
BearCreekDam.aspx
USDA Forest Service. (2013). DRAFT Bear Creek Watershed Assessment. Retrieved February
13, 2015, from https://fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5412309.pdf
USDA Forest Service. (2014). Bear Creek Watershed Assessment & NEPA. Retrieved February
13, 2015, from http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/home/?cid=STELPRDB5397304
USGS. (2013). USGS Responds to Flooding in Colorado. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
http://www.usgs.gov/blogs/features/printemail/?post=183722
BEAR CREEK WATERSHED, COLORADO 22
Water Denver. (2015). Key Facts. Retrieved March 14, 2015, from Water Denver:
http://www.water.denver.co.gov/AboutUs/KeyFacts/
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