The whole dam thing is a bad idea.
On the eastern edge of the Holy Cross Wilderness near Red Cliff lies the Homestake Valley, home to a diversity of plant and animal life and an abundance of recreation opportunities. But despite its peaceful and serene appearance, trouble is brewing.
In 2021, White River National Forest allowed the drilling of test wells in the Homestake Valley – the first step towards constructing a new dam and reservoir that could inundate portions of the Holy Cross Wilderness and send more Western Slope water to the Front Range.
Homestake Valley Wetlands. Photo courtesy Steven Dewitt/Witness Tree Media.
Want to learn more about our work in the Homestake Valley? Reach out to Campaign Manager Michael Gorman.
What’s happening in the Homestake Valley?
The Front Range cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs, which own water rights in the area are planning a new dam and reservoir in the Homestake Valley, which would divert 20,000-acre-feet of water per year from the Western Slope to the Front Range. The cities already have one reservoir (Homestake I, completed in 1967) and they’re calling this new proposal the Whitney Reservoir.
The Whitney Reservoir is an alternative to the Homestake II project, which proposed a dam in the Holy Cross Wilderness and was successfully defeated by massive community outcry and legal action in the 1980s and 1990s. This alternative is no better than Homestake II and could eliminate as many as 497 acres from the Holy Cross Wilderness as well as flooding a spectacular and ecologically rich valley filled with fens (a rare form of wetlands) wildlife habitat and beloved recreational opportunities.
An American Dipper in Homestake Creek. Photo courtesy Steven Dewitt/Witness Tree Media.
In addition to galvanizing community members, WW is participating in a coalition of conservation groups – including WildEarth Guardians, Colorado Headwaters, the Holy Cross Wilderness Defense Fund, Save the Colorado, the Colorado Chapter of the Sierra Club, and other partners around the state – to fight this misguided proposal. A formal dam and reservoir proposal has not been submitted to the Forest Service, and it’s unclear when this will occur – which means it’s even more critical for advocates to keep the pressure on and fight this short-sighted idea at every step.
Community members fought Homestake II and are ready to do it again. Photo courtesy Chris Cohen.
Background
During the summer of 2020, more than 700 comments were submitted to the Forest Service on a geophysical feasibility study of the proposed Whitney Reservoir. Nearly all opposed the project on lower Homestake Creek, which would drill ten 150-foot boreholes and conduct a seismic survey as preparation for building a dam. With the help of your comments, we asked the Forest Service to conduct a detailed environmental analysis and told them that a drilling rig—and, eventually, a dam—does not belong in the wetlands, fens, fragile headwater streams, wilderness, and Roadless Areas of the spectacular Homestake Valley.
March 2021 brought upsetting news when the Forest Service approved drilling for core samples in the Homestake Valley – the first step towards constructing a new dam and reservoir that could destroy rare fen wetlands and a beloved backcountry recreation spot, and even inundate portions of the Holy Cross Wilderness. Responding to community outcry and our own significant concerns about the ecological impacts of a dam, WW spent the summer building and organizing community opposition to the proposal.
In August 2021, WW hosted a “Save the Homestaske Valley Rally” – which was front-page news in the Vail Daily and that we wrote about in the December 2021 issue of Wild Works. Following an information & poster-making session at Mango’s Mountain Grill, protesters marched through the town of Red Cliff, underneath its iconic Green Bridge, along Homestake Creek, and up to Highway 24. With community members waving from front porches, cars honking in support, and many creative signs (and hats!) on display, the day was festive and fun-filled, but had a serious topic: gearing up for a big fight against a new dam and reservoir.
At the "Save Homestake Valley Rally." Photo courtesy Chris Cohen.
Documenting biodiversity. Photo courtesy Chris Cohen.
Bioblitz – Ongoing Community Science Project
In August 2022, WW initiated a community science project to document the biodiversity of the Homestake Valley and gather scientific data that shows just how special this area is. We partnered with Eagle River Watershed Council, Rocky Mountain Wild, Walking Mountains Science Center, Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP), Sierra Club, and Audubon Society and returned again in 2023 with more volunteers to identify as many plant and animal species as possible. Expert botanists and ecologists helped participants understand more about the intricate wetland ecosystem and assisted with identifying different species. Now in our second year of the project, we’ve identified and documented over 120 species. You can add your own observations to the bioblitz project in iNaturalist by downloading the app and using it to take photos next time you are in the Homestake Valley. Read more in this article from a July 2023 Sopris Sun.
WW will continue working with the local community to stop this dam project and protect the Homestake Valley for future generations; we’ll also be engaging in legal research, engaging with federal agencies, and collaborating with our coalition partners. If you haven’t already, please add your name to our “No New Dams in the Homestake Valley” petition.
