Groundwork Denver Lower Bear Creek Watershed Plan Highlight - Inflow Newsletter: June 27, 2013

Groundwork Denver’s mission is to bring about the sustained improvement of the physical environment and promote health and well-being through community-based partnerships and action. Our urban environmental work includes home energy audits, Brownfield redevelopment, youth employment, and air and water quality projects.

In autumn 2012, Groundwork Denver began convening partners from communities, local governments, non-profit organizations, and businesses to participate in a watershed planning process for Lower Bear Creek. The eight mile stretch from Kipling Parkway (downstream of Bear Creek Reservoir) to the confluence with the South Platte River was listed on the State’s polluted waters list in 2010 due to elevated levels of E. coli.

A 319 grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment supports a two-year effort to bring partners together to characterize the watershed, set pollution reduction goals, and create a comprehensive implementation plan. As a part of Colorado’s Non Point Source program, the final watershed plan will offer voluntary recommendations to limit pollution in Lower Bear Creek.

The Lower Bear Creek basin includes land in Jefferson, Denver and Arapahoe Counties, and portions of Lakewood, Denver and Sheridan. This watershed supports residential neighborhoods, businesses, open space, and other land uses. Lower Bear Creek is a special place, offering thousands of residents an outstanding, close-to-home opportunity to explore natural areas, parks and trails, wildlife, and the creek itself. 

Major partners involved in the project include Sheridan Public Works, Lakewood residents, Denver Environmental Health, Denver Parks & Recreation, Cutthroat Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District and EPA Region 8. Facilitation partners from the National Park Service include Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance and the Denver Service Center. Activities related to the project include the inaugural Fair at the Bear, water quality sampling, steering committee and stakeholder meetings, and public outreach.

If you live, work, go to school or play near Lower Bear Creek, we want your input! Please take a short survey and let us know about your experiences of the creek. For project updates and to get involved, please visit our Facebook page.