OMAHA, NE - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, January 26, to gather input on modifying the Cherry Creek Dam Water Control Plan to release more water from the dam during extreme flooding events in order to reduce the risk of the dam overtopping and failing. The meeting will be held at the King Center Recital Hall on the Auraria Campus, 855 Lawrence Way, Denver, Colorado. Vouchers will be provided for free parking in the 7th Street Parking Garage located next to the King Center. The Tivoli Parking Garage will also be available as free overflow parking. See map for reference.
The public meeting will run from 6-8 p.m. with a brief presentation at 6:30 p.m. followed by an open house. “During the open house, the public with have an opportunity to talk with Corps team members about the proposed Water Control Plan modifications and provide their input on potential impacts,” said Katie Seefus, Water Manager for the Corps’ Cherry Creek Project. “People will also be able to speak with officials from the Denver Office of Emergency Management Homeland Security to learn more about that agency’s mission to protect public safety and find out more information about how to develop a personal action plan in the event of an emergency.”
Input on the proposed Cherry Creek Water Control Plan modifications may be submitted at the public meeting, emailed to kathryn.j.seefus@usace.army.mil or mailed to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-ED-HA; ATTN: Katie Seefus; 1616 Capitol Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. Comments must be postmarked or received by February 26, 2016.
Background: The Cherry Creek Dam project was authorized in the 1940s for the primary purpose of mitigating flood risk to the downstream city of Denver from floods originating on Cherry Creek above Cherry Creek Dam. Cherry Creek Dam and Reservoir is located on Cherry Creek, 11.4 miles southeast of its confluence with the South Platte River in Aurora, Colo. In 2005, the Corps sought to better categorize the risk at all of its dams. Cherry Creek Dam received an elevated risk rating primarily because of the dam’s large downstream population and the potential for overtopping or seepage issues during an extremely rare precipitation event. The current Cherry Creek Dam Safety Modification Study is evaluating those risks in greater detail and assessing possible options for remediating the risk. One of those options could involve modifying the Cherry Creek Dam Water Control Plan.
For more information about the current Cherry Creek Dam Safety Modification Study, visit http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Planning/PlanningProjects/CherryCreekDSMS.aspx
Release no. 20160108-003