Commissioners: “We will continue to value, respect, and support all individuals as we serve the people of Boulder County.” Read full message.

Immigrant Resources, including a Know Your Rights Booklet, available on the Immigration Resources webpage.

Gross Reservoir Land Preservation
Top of Gross Reservoir Dam

Community Land Preservation Survey

In April and May of 2024, Boulder County sought input from the Gross Reservoir community on how the “Land Preservation” section of the Denver Water vs. Boulder County Settlement Agreement might be spent. Section 5.1 of the Agreement provides $5.1 million to acquire land to replace, at least partially, the forested lands and recreation areas that will be inundated with water by the Denver Water Gross Reservoir Expansion project.

Purpose

The purpose of the community survey was to gather input from Boulder County residents impacted by the Denver Water Gross Reservoir Expansion Project. Peak Facilitation Group, a neutral third party, conducted the survey and analyzed the results on Boulder County’s behalf. Survey results were shared with Boulder County and members of the public in aggregate form.

Results

Boulder County staff from Parks & Open Space and the Commissioners’ Office presented the Gross Reservoir Community Land Preservation Survey Results at two community meetings in May 2024:

Next Steps

The Boulder County Commissioners directed Boulder County Parks & Open Space to research available properties that fit the top outcomes of the survey results. One property, the Bearberry property, was acquired in April 2025 using a portion of the $5.1 million set aside for this purpose.

Stay Informed

Sign up to receive email or text updates on the Gross Reservoir Community Impact Mitigation Fund.

Submit questions or comments to: grossreservoir@bouldercounty.gov.

Visit the Community Impact Mitigation Fund webpage for information on household payments.

Boulder County Purchases Bearberry Open Space Property - April 2025

With a recommendation from the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee and approval from the Board of County Commissioners, Boulder County acquired the Bearberry Open Space property on April 3

The Bearberry property was purchased using $1.6 million from the Section 5.1 Settlement Agreement funds. The parcel of land is located near the intersection of Coal Creek Canyon Drive and Peak to Peak Highway in southwest Boulder County and includes important wildlife habitat and wetland protections.

Read the Bearberry property staff memo and review the presentation slide deck with photos.