Blog
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History Series
Lytle Water Solutions (LWS) has written a series of blogs on the history and development of the Rueter-Hess Reservoir in Parker, Colorado. Here is a quick reference list of the blogs in this series...
Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting...is the process of collecting, storing, and then putting to beneficial use the runoff from precipitation events. Rainwater is considered “waters of the State” as a portion of the water runoff finds its way to streams and shallow groundwater systems, which then contributes to water supplies that vested water rights rely upon...LEARN MORE HERE!
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 7 - A Key to a Renewable Water Future
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 7-A Key to a Renewable Water Future…
Rueter-Hess Reservoir has become a key to both developing local renewable water resources, as well as allowing the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) to develop a full reuse system. Renewable water supplies are provided to Rueter-Hess Reservoir through the Cherry Creek Pump Station from Cherry Creek and by gravity inflow on Newlin Gulch. This water is then stored until demands dictate the release and treatment of the water, with the subsequent use within the PWSD service area that includes the Town of Parker, Lone Tree, and Castle Pines.…LEARN MORE HERE!
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 6 - Construction & Initial Operation of the Reservoir
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 6-Construction and Initial Operation of RHR…
The last Rueter-Hess Reservoir history blog described the permitting of the dam and reservoir, which required two complete cycles of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. This resulted in two Section 404 permits and Records of Decision (RODs), one in 2004 and the second in 2008. The result was the ability for the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) to construct Rueter-Hess Reservoir to a 72,000 acre-foot (ac-ft) capacity.
Since the 2004 ROD allowed the construction of the smaller Rueter-Hess Reservoir to 16,200 ac-ft of capacity, construction of the dam began soon after receiving approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers. While the initially approved dam was lower and shorter in length, since the second NEPA action was underway prior to construction starting, the dam core and dam length were built to accommodate the full size Rueter-Hess Reservoir, with the expectation the second application would be approved. If not, the dam would have been oversized for the approved storage capacity. Fortunately, that didn’t happen!…LEARN MORE HERE!
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 5 - Final Permitting and Construction
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 5-Final Permitting and Construction…
Based on its application to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 1999 and the work completed for the Environmental Impact Statement, Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) obtained a Section 404 permit and Record of Decision on February 23, 2004…
However, within 3 months after receiving its Section 404 permit, other water supply entities approached PWSD about the possibility of obtaining storage in Rueter-Hess Reservoir…LEARN MORE HERE!
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 4 - NEPA Permitting Can Result in Ancillary Benefits
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 4 - NEPA Permitting Can Result in Ancillary Benefits….
Following up on Part 3 of the LWS series on the history of Rueter-Hess Reservoir: The NEPA action (to approve the Section 404 permit) was being delayed because of the biological opinion that had to be provided in the permitting process by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)…Because no agreement had been made under the Tri-State Agreement (Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska as the states in the Platte River Basin), the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) had two choices related to the required endangered species mitigation in Nebraska:… FIND OUT MORE!
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 3 - The Water Right was the Easy Part Compared to the Necessary Permitting for the Dam
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 3 - The Water Right was the Easy Part Compared to the Necessary Permitting for the Dam….
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 2 - Where Does PWSD Go From Here?
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History Part 2: Where does PWSD go from here? Read on….
Rueter-Hess Reservoir History: Part 1 - Genesis of the Project
Rueter-Hess Reservoir, storing water behind the Frank Jaeger Dam, is in operation and has stored as much as 30,000 acre-feet (“ac-ft”). However, it has taken a lot of effort to bring this centerpiece of the Parker Water and Sanitation District (“PWSD”) water supply system to fruition. This series of blogs tells the story of the development of Rueter-Hess Reservoir.
Nevada’s Water Smart Program (Cont’d.)
After researching the Nevada Assembly Bill 356, which prohibits the use of Colorado River water to irrigate non-functional grass (see October 24 LWS Blog), I was struck by the statement to the Associated Press by Nevada Assemblyman Howard Watts III, a sponsor of the bill who said:
“This sends a clear message about what other states need to be looking at in order to preserve water.”
Nevada’s Water Smart Program
The first-of-its-kind, Nevada Assembly Bill 356 (“AB356”), prohibits the use of Colorado River water to irrigate non-functional grass (non-functional is used to describe decorative turf). This blog discusses what has led up to this law, implementation of the law and the positive impacts on water savings…
Free River - Positive Impacts
The free conditions that have been so beneficial to junior water storage rights such as Rueter-Hess Reservoir near Parker have come to an end. Initially described in the LWS blog of June 28, the extended free river condition for Rueter-Hess Reservoir on Cherry Creek came to an end on Sunday, July 16, after 64 straight days of free river conditions!