Chatfield Recreation Area to Become Chatfield Holding Pond

In this continuing series of posts over the concerns with the Chatfield Reallocation Study (http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/pd-p/Plan_Formulation/GI/GI_Chatfield.html), one of the biggest concerns I have as a recreational user is the impact to all of the facilities and what makes it such a great place to go.  With over 1.5 million visitor days annually, I suspect many are not aware of the significant impact these changes could have on recreation.

On the surface, the planned flooding would seem to be a positive for the significant number of boaters that use it every summer that sometimes it looks more like a boating parking lot.    However, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, “The reallocated storage space is located at an elevation within Chatfield Reservoir with more gentle topography, creating shallow water levels with increased boating hazards. Consequently, no additional boatable acreage for motorized vessels is expected to be created within Chatfield Reservoir.” Higher target water levels would necessitate moving parking lots to higher ground. When water levels are low (at times as much as 21 vertical feet below target levels), people using hand-launched boats like canoes and kayaks would have to carry their crafts much further before they could launch them. Today riparian forests surround much of Chatfield Reservoir. During periods of low water levels, boaters would view mudflats where these forests now stand — hardly the scenery that users expect.

The flooding is likely to have the greatest impact on land-based activities.  The Reallocation Project would inundate 587 acres of land in Chatfield State Park.  People now use the land that would be inundated for activities such as horseback riding, bicycling, hiking, and jogging.  While mitigation plans are discussed, as I explained to a friend who had a question about cycling impacts the new roads and other facilities expected will be a long-term coming as Chatfield will be a construction zone for 3 years or more while these changes occur and many paths in low-lying areas will also be lost. Also biking, hiking and running around a mud bog rather than the current beautiful scenery certainly has a lot less appeal for me.

Finally something we just tried new this summer as a part of the State Parks and Recreation program, Let’s Camp is fishing.  There are expected to be significant impacts here as well.  According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, “Chatfield Reservoir’s walleye spawning program produces 30-40 million eggs annually, and will be negatively impacted if storage of water within the reallocated storage space results in larger or more frequent water level fluctuations during the spawning season. Additionally the smallmouth bass fishery is supported by natural reproduction which will be negatively impacted by larger water level fluctuations during the spawning season.”  Pictures like the one below of my daughter could become a thing of the past.

Daughter Fishing for the First Time at Chatfield this Summer

Here is what I submitted to the Chatfield Study on this topic:

Col. Robert Ruch, Commander
 US Army Corps of Engineers,

Omaha District
Re:  Chatfield Reservoir Storage Reallocation

FR/DEIS
1616 Capitol Ave.


Omaha, NE 68102-4901

Dear Col Ruch:

I am submitting a comment today on the Chatfield Reallocation Study over my concerns about the impacts to the park’s recreation area.  My family and I enjoy using Chatfield State Park where we like to bike, run, camp, hike stand-up paddle board and fish.

I think that the impacts to Chatfield recreation opportunities have not been fully captured in the current study.  On the surface, the planned flooding would seem to be a positive for the significant number of boaters that use it every summer that sometimes it looks more like a boating parking lot.    However, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, “The reallocated storage space is located at an elevation within Chatfield Reservoir with more gentle topography, creating shallow water levels with increased boating hazards. Consequently, no additional boatable acreage for motorized vessels is expected to be created within Chatfield Reservoir.” Higher target water levels would necessitate moving parking lots to higher ground. When water levels are low (at times as much as 21 vertical feet below target levels), people using hand-launched boats like canoes and kayaks would have to carry their crafts much further before they could launch them. Today riparian forests surround much of Chatfield Reservoir. During periods of low water levels, boaters would view mudflats where these forests now stand — hardly the scenery that users expect.

The flooding is likely to have the greatest impact on land-based activities.  The Reallocation Project would inundate 587 acres of land in Chatfield State Park.  People now use the land that would be inundated for activities such as horseback riding, bicycling, hiking, and jogging.  While mitigation plans are discussed, as I explained to a friend who had a question about cycling impacts the new roads and other facilities expected will be a long-term coming as Chatfield will be a construction zone for 3 years or more while these changes occur and many paths in low-lying areas will also be lost. Also biking, hiking and running around a mud bog rather than the current beautiful scenery certainly has a lot less appeal for me.

Finally something we just tried new this summer as a part of the State Parks and Recreation program, Let’s Camp is fishing.  There are expected to be significant impacts here as well.  According to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, “Chatfield Reservoir’s walleye spawning program produces 30-40 million eggs annually, and will be negatively impacted if storage of water within the reallocated storage space results in larger or more frequent water level fluctuations during the spawning season. Additionally the smallmouth bass fishery is supported by natural reproduction which will be negatively impacted by larger water level fluctuations during the spawning season.”  Pictures like the one below of my daughter could become a thing of the past.

Although the recreation impacts are supposed to be mitigated, I am still concerned with the significant impact the flooding would have. Please consider this when moving forward with plans for Chatfield State Park.  If the plans move forward similar to what is proposed, at the very least consider this as an opportunity to try and enhance the recreation opportunities through the creation of improved facilities, trails, roads and other changes that could enhance rather than diminish the park’s  recreation value.

Thanks you for your time and consideration

Todd Mosher