Boulder County, Colo. - The Boulder County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will hold a public
hearing on Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. to consider allowing Boulder County to act as the “Local Sponsor” of Natural Resources
Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program,
Phase 2. The BOCC will also provide direction concerning Boulder County
participation in projects implemented by watershed coalitions.

What:
Public Hearing on Watershed Issues
When:
Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m.
Where:
Boulder County Courthouse, 3rd Floor, 1325 Pearl St., Boulder
Who:
The Creek Recovery & Restoration Program will make a presentation
about the
program and potential projects

The NRCS has been allocated approximately $47
million in EWP grant funding to support flood recovery projects in Colorado.
There have been 29 eligible projects identified within Boulder County, estimated
to cost $35.8 million. The program will be administered by the State’s Colorado
Water Conservation Board (CWCB). For a project to move forward with
implementation, a Local Sponsor must be identified. The Local Sponsor responsible
for overseeing project implementation and provides a local match of 12.5% of
the total project cost.

Boulder
County is considering local sponsorship of 12 EWP projects. The total estimated
cost of these 12 projects is $18.3 million. Eight of the projects are
associated with the road reconstruction adjacent to James Creek, Fourmile
Creek, Fourmile Canyon Creek, and Gold Run. Four of the projects are on Parks
and Open Space property on St. Vrain Creek and Left Hand Creek.

“Coalition members, residents, and others interested in watershed
health and recovery are encouraged to attend the public hearing to provide
feedback on Boulder County’s role in the EWP program,” said Julie McKay,
Boulder County Creek Recovery & Restoration Program Manager.

Boulder
County continues to work with all of the watershed coalitions to consider how the
county can participate in each coalition’s priority projects. The public
hearing will also include a discussion of county participation in projects
implemented by watershed coalitions.

For more information,
visit the Creek
Recovery & Restoration Program website or contact Stacey
Proctor, at 303-441-1107 or sproctor@bouldercounty.org.