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OSMP briefs trustees on water‑rights portfolio, ditch infrastructure, budgets and in‑stream flow work
Summary
Open Space staff outlined the department’s water-rights holdings, irrigation infrastructure, operating and capital budgets, maintenance and fuels-mitigation efforts, and ongoing work on South Boulder Creek in‑stream flows and measurement.
Open Space and Mountain Parks staff presented a multi-part update on Oct. 8 describing OSMP’s water‑rights portfolio, ditch infrastructure and maintenance, operating and capital budgets, and work to support in‑stream flows on South Boulder Creek.
Dustin Allard and other water-resources staff said OSMP holds historic water rights across five creeks, including 324 units of Colorado Big Thompson water used supplementally in the north, storage rights in 10 reservoirs, and ownership stakes across 62 water entities. Staff report managing roughly 281 miles of ditch and more than 800 active water-delivery structures; annual deliveries in 2025 exceeded about 1,500 acre-feet.
The program manages an operating budget of approximately $887,000 (supporting three full-time staff and seasonal technicians) and a 2025 capital budget of about $268,000. Staff said the 2026 projected operating budget would be about $880,000 while the capital budget is expected to grow to roughly $493,000 to cover discrete infrastructure projects.
Staff discussed dam compliance at Wonderland Lake, classified as a high‑hazard dam based on downstream risk; OSMP completes annual inspections, monthly seepage monitoring and vegetation removal and reported the dam is currently in good standing. The briefing covered recent capital/maintenance projects (for example, Howard Ditch siphon replacement completed in coordination with a trails project to reduce cost and impacts) and an identified high‑priority Brubaker Diversion replacement project that recently received a grant from the Saint Vrain/Left Hand Water Conservancy District for design and work.
Staff described ongoing work toward an environmental pool/in‑stream flow program for South Boulder Creek, including placement of upstream telemetered gauges at four of five locations identified in an intergovernmental agreement with Lafayette and coordination with utilities and Trout Unlimited for fish passage and future environmental releases from Gross Reservoir.
Presenters emphasized climate‑driven pressures on supply, aging infrastructure, rising market values for water rights (noting fewer water rights are coming to market and higher prices for Colorado Big Thompson units), and the need to prioritize capital projects and acquisitions to maintain operations and ecological deliveries.
Trustees asked follow-up questions on ownership history of Wonderland Lake, the condition assessment of infrastructure (currently underway), coordination with utilities and greenways management, and prospects for maintaining sufficient water for agricultural leases in the face of projected demand increases.
