Community Impact Mitigation Fund Payments
Residents directly affected by the Denver Water Gross Reservoir Expansion Project will be considered for impact mitigation payments in two phases:
- Phase I payments were distributed in 2023 and 2024 based on the full 7-year community impacts from the Gross Reservoir Expansion Project.
- Phase 2 payments will be determined based on projected impacts from the two-year tree removal operations originally scheduled to begin in 2026. However, the start of these operations may be delayed or canceled altogether following an April 3, 2025, ruling by the Denver District Court. (See more under “Phase II Payments – Pending.”)
Phase I Payments – Completed
Boulder County completed the first round* of payments from Section 2. “Reduce Impacts to Residents” of the Denver Water Settlement Agreement on April 30, 2024. See Gross Reservoir Community Impact Mitigation Fund Phase I Distribution Report for full payment details.
Phase II Payments – Pending
Conversations with Denver Water staff in early 2025 indicated that the tree removal phase of the Gross Dam construction project would not begin until 2026. Originally planned to start in the fall of 2025, Denver Water amended the tree removal plan in the fall of 2024. Proposed changes to the plan were submitted to FERC for approval.
On April 3, 2025, a federal judge issued orders halting further construction on the Gross Reservoir dam (Reference: Save the Colorado et. al. vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Denver Water). Specifically, the court’s orders impose a permanent injunction on tree clearing and other associated activities related to Denver Water’s Gross Reservoir expansion project.
Boulder County is closely monitoring the ongoing court proceedings and will evaluate Phase II payments once more information becomes available. The county remains committed to forming a community working group to guide the distribution of Phase II payments, similar to the group that advised Boulder County on Phase I distributions, once more is learned about the future of the dam expansion project.