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County hears comprehensive updates on GC‑WIN merger, monitoring, restoration and Grand Lake clarity work
Summary
Staff updated the board on a proposed merger of East Grand Water Quality Board into GC‑WIN (GC Wynn) to consolidate monitoring and education, progress on Beaver Creek restoration pilot projects, Grand Lake adaptive management modeling, cyanobacteria monitoring plans and a wildfire‑ready watersheds project funded by CWCB.
County staff and water partners gave a consolidated briefing on several ongoing watershed and water‑quality initiatives during the June 10 meeting.
Kaylee Folk (water quality specialist) and Catherine Morris (water quality manager) described a planned merger of the East Grand Water Quality Board into GC‑WIN (referred to as GC Wynn), which staff say will streamline monitoring, data‑sharing, educational programs and grant capacity. Folk noted GC‑WIN operates about 65 temperature monitors across the county, secchi monitoring on the three lakes, conductivity sampling at lake inlets and a cyanotoxin/cyanobacteria monitoring program. She said consolidating organizational membership requirements (10‑41 permittees) under GC‑WIN in the merger agreement will simplify administrative tracking while preserving monitoring responsibilities.
Restoration partners reported on the Beaver Creek pilot project (part of the Kawuneeche Valley Restoration Collaborative), where practitioners installed 29 in‑stream structures and 31 acres of large exclosure fencing to protect incipient willow regrowth from elk and moose browsing; staff showed before‑and‑after photos indicating water spreading onto floodplains and early willow leaf‑out but said mature willow seed sources may require years to recover fully.
Staff also summarized Grand Lake Adaptive Management (GLAM) model updates. An updated operational model compared analog years (2006 and 2022) to examine pump timing tradeoffs that affect Grand Lake clarity; staff said model runs did not produce a single preferred scenario, that reclamation participated in the update, and that operational constraints (e.g., maintaining Shadow Mountain Reservoir temperatures near 15–16°C) continue to drive season‑to‑season decisions. Reclamation will distribute a draft operational plan for comment and staff expect adaptive adjustments as field conditions change.
Finally, staff outlined a summer cyanobacteria monitoring program with CDPHE and partners (Northern Water, USDA Forest Service and Town of Grand Lake) covering sample points on Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain and Granby Reservoir; county contribution to the program was described as approximately $8,000 toward an estimated $20,000 total cost. Staff also briefed the board about a CWCB‑funded Wildfire Ready Watersheds effort involving hydrology, debris‑flow and susceptibility modeling; project memos and technical review are expected through late summer 2025.
