FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Sept. 30, 2014   Contact: Stacey Proctor, Communications Specialist, 303-441-1107

St. Vrain Creek Master Plan recovery alternatives available for review and comment

Comments must be received by Oct. 3, final plan to be released in November

Boulder County, Colo. – Michael Baker Jr., Inc., the St. Vrain Creek Coalition’s master plan consultant team, has released a draft alternatives analysis report for flood recovery and restoration projects for the St. Vrain Creek Watershed. The public is invited to provide input on the draft alternatives. Approximately 140 people attended four community workshops to provide feedback on the draft alternatives.

The draft report includes:

• Alternatives Analysis: Comparison of alternatives that address the objectives, opportunities, and constraints for each reach of the creek. Alternatives are generally focused on reducing flood risk and restoring natural channel conditions through creek realignment, bank stabilization, and erosion repair.
• Ecological Assessment:  Evaluation of the overall condition of streams, riparian zones, and in-stream habitat.  Recommendations from this assessment are focused on strategies to re-establish or improve the ecosystem throughout the channel corridor.
• Geomorphic Assessment: Evaluation of the physical characteristics of the channel and how the channel has changed shape over time.  Recommendations from this assessment provide guidance on where the channel should be placed and how it should be shaped for long-term stability.

Those who were unable to attend the community workshops can view the draft alternatives online at the St. Vrain Creek Master Plan website. Comments on the draft alternatives analysis report will be accepted until Oct. 3, 2014. The final plan will be released in early November.

“We will be taking the input we received from the community and use it to further inform the draft alternatives analysis to determine the recommendations for flood recovery projects within the St. Vrain Creek Watershed,” said Dave Jula, St. Vrain Creek Watershed Master Plan Project Manager, for Michael Baker Jr., Inc.

As the master plan nears completion, conversations have begun to discuss post-master plan coordination and project implementation with local agencies, landowners, and stakeholders. Project implementation will be dependent upon securing funding for projects.

“The completion of the master plan will be a big step forward for the recovery of the St. Vrain Creek. But there is much work to be done to implement the projects identified in the master plan,” said Julie McKay, Boulder County Creek Planning Program Manager. “Long-term recovery of St. Vrain Creek depends on participation from landowners, residents, and other stakeholders.”

Similar master planning efforts are underway for many other watersheds in Boulder County, including Left Hand Creek, the Little Thompson River, and Fourmile Creek. For more information on any of the master plans, please contact Stacey Proctor, Communications Specialist at 303-441-1107 or sproctor@nullbouldercounty.org.

–BoulderCounty.org–