Despite local opposition, the threat of legal action and a recent rally at Red Cliff, work has already started on a geotechnical survey and a fatal fault test drilling project to determine the feasibility of four potential dam sites for the proposed Whitney Reservoir in the Homestake Creek Valley. in southeast Eagle County.
“They’ve started the geotechnical work at Homestake Valley,†said David Boyd, spokesperson for the White River National Forest supervisor’s office in Glenwood Springs. “Colorado Springs Utilities would have the details on the schedule and the schedule.”
In fact, Aurora Water, which partnered with Colorado Springs Utilities in an entity known as Homestake Partners, filled in the gaps in the geotechnical survey, which is only designed to select a potential site for a dam. . Any formal dam proposal should go through an in-depth Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process with the Forest Service.
“After some logistical management, we carried out low impact survey work, including site photography, geological field mapping and high resolution drone imagery,” Aurora spokesperson said. Water, Greg Baker, in an email.
“We are starting drilling, mostly on private land as we map out the drilling needs to be done on USFS land,” Baker added. “The geotechnical work will continue until the fall, but is highly dependent on the weather. “
The Forest Service approved a permit for the study portion of the project in March, using a streamlined review process called a categorical exclusion. Opponents of the project, including a coalition of environmental groups, wanted a full EIA just for the geotechnical survey and drilling of up to 10 boreholes.
Wilderness Workshop filed a notice of intention to sue to stop the study in July, which triggered a 60-day delay for a Forest Service response. Forest Service officials will not comment on the pending lawsuit. Wilderness Workshop did not comment further on the work in progress.
Homestake Partners is seeking to develop a reservoir of up to 20,000 acres per year, half of which has water rights dating back to the 1950s. The proposed new Whitney Reservoir would be approximately five miles downstream of the existing Homestake Reservoir in 40,000 acres and could potentially encroach on the Holy Cross Wilderness Area if Congress and the White House approve it. The current project is just to assess possible dam sites.
“It will take us some time to analyze the geotechnical data,†Baker said. “Mountain geology is challenging at best, so examining and interpreting takes a long time. We don’t have a timeline for the next steps. This work will help guide us in our discussions on these next steps, and it would be speculative for us as well. [say] what they can look like.
Baker added that the hope is to complete all geotechnical survey and test drilling work before the forest service’s license expires on November 22.
David O. Williams is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Vail Valley, Colorado, writing on healthcare, immigration, politics, environment, energy, public lands, outdoor recreation and the sports. His work has appeared in 5280 Magazine, American Way Magazine (American Airlines), Anchorage Daily News (Alaska), Aspen Daily News, Aspen Journalism, The Aspen Times, Beaver Creek Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Colorado Independent (formerly Colorado Confidential ), Colorado Politics (formerly Colorado Statesman), Colorado Public News, Colorado Springs Gazette, Colorado Springs Independent, Colorado Statesman (now Colorado Politics), Colorado Times Recorder, Daily Trail (Vail), Denver Daily News , The Denver Gazette, The Denver Post, The Durango Herald, The Eagle Valley Enterprise, The Eastside Journal (Bellevue, Washington), ESPN.com, The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, The Greeley Tribune, The Huffington Post, The King County Journal (Seattle, Washington), KUNC.org (northern Colorado), LA Weekly, London Daily Mirror, Montgomery Journal (Maryland), New York Times, Parent’s Handbook, Peaks Magazine (now Epic Life), People Magazine, P owder Magazine, Pueblo Chieftain, PT Magazine, Rocky Mountain Golf Magazine, Rocky Mountain News, Atlantic Media’s RouteFifty.com (formerly Government Executive State and Local), SKI Magazine, Ski Area Management, SKIING Magazine, Summit Daily News, United Hemispheres (United Airlines), Vail / Beaver Creek Magazine, Vail en Español, Vail Valley Magazine, the Vail Daily, the Vail Trail and Westword (Denver). Williams is also the founder, publisher and editor of RealVail.com and RockyMountainPost.com.
