Bear Creek Gate Replacement Information

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US Army Corps of Engineers

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August 2025 Project Update

Bear Creek Gate Maintenance – August 2025 Update

The gate design is underway with completion expected by March 2026. If the design is complete and funding can be acquired, the gate fabrication contract may be awarded early summer of 2026. If this occurs, the plan would be to follow this schedule.

	Nov 2026 – Dec 2026	Dec 2026 – Nov 2027	Nov 2027 – Dec 2027	Dec 2027 – Jan 2028	Jan 2028 – Feb 2028
Construction Work Summary	Gate Measurements and Tunnel Repairs	Fabricate New Gates	Replace Gates and Gate Slot repair		Complete any additional construction needs*
Drawdown Below 5558 feet	10 feet	Resume release	10 feet	Resume Release	10 feet
Recreation Status	Open to Public	Open to Public	Open to Public	Open to Public	Closed to Public**

* This drawdown would only be necessary if inflow rates are high and the remaining construction activities cannot be completed safely during the second construction window.

** If ice over the reservoir becomes unstable, the reservoir may be closed due to safety concerns.

The condition of the gates will continue to be routinely monitored to ensure they are functioning safely. There are no plans to alter dam operations in relation to this project through October 2026.

Project Documents

FINAL EA & FONSI
FINAL Appendix A
FINAL Appendix B
FINAL Appendix C
DRAFT EA & FONSI
View the Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact
DRAFT Appendix A
Public Notice for Draft Report Availability

Bear Creek Gate Replacement - Background Information

The Bear Creek Dam and Reservoir in the South Platte River Basin in Colorado was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1968 (Public Law 90-483). The authorized purposes of the project are flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife enhancement. The normal regulation of the Bear Creek Reservoir involves responsibilities of USACE and the State of Colorado. The State tracks water rights on Bear Creek and the South Platte River and makes requests for releases to the USACE. These releases supply irrigation, water supply diversions, and normal river flows.

There are two service and two emergency gates at the outlet structure. The gates are operated manually by the TriLakes Project Office. A dome-type gated control structure buried under the main embankment has two 3X6 foot hydraulically operated slide service gates in each gate passage from which the water is admitted into one of two oblong conduits that terminate at the exit portal. Two additional 3X6 foot emergency gates are located 6 feet upstream of the service gates.

Recent inspections of the Bear Creek Dam have shown the emergency gates, service gates, steel liners, and other metal components in the gate structure showed substantial corrosion. Although the gates are still functional, this corrosion has caused the emergency and service gates to not seal properly and allows water to leak while closed (see Figure 2). It was determined that maintenance actions need to be taken to ensure that the gates remain functional in the future. Figure 2 below shows a photo of the emergency and service gates taken during the inspection.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in coordination with the City of Lakewood, Colorado, will hold an open house on Tuesday, June 25^th, 2024 at the Red Rocks Baptist Church (14711 W Morrison Rd) in Morrison, Colorado from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public an opportunity to learn about the proposed gate replacement of two service and two emergency gates at Bear Creek Dam and solicit public input.

During the open house, the community is welcomed to join USACE representatives and technical experts to discuss the proposed Operation and Maintenance project.

Read the Environmental Assessment for the project here. Read the public notice here. Please contact CENWO-CW-PlanningOutreach@usace.army.mil for all comments regarding the topic.