November 16, 2009 04:33 AM UTC

Jaeger's $230 Million Folly: Rueter Hess Reservoir

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• by: JeffcoBlue

If you have driven up I-25 from Castle Rock any time lately, you might have noticed a new construction project going on in a valley to the southwest of the Lincoln exit. It appears to be a massive dam, large enough that you would expect the lake it contained to be as massive as Cherry Creek Reservoir or Standley Lake. It would be, or, conceivably, could be, if it were full. In fact, when full, the lake created by the new dam, titled in anticipation the Rueter Hess Reservoir, would fill in the entire valley, with shores lapping at the embankments of I-25 itself. That’s a mighty big lake, you might think. How do they plan to fill it up?

That is the question everyone is asking, especially residents of Parker, who will ultimately have to pay for the $230 million dollar dam. Digging a big hole in the ground is relatively easy-securing water rights to fill it is another story. Colorado’s water rights are granted on the basis of prior appropriation, that is, first come, first served. Furthermore, since water was a necessary resource for the settlement of the west, most of the water along the Front Range was appropriated-claimed-in the 1860’s.

Now, if you are picturing a bunch of old dead pioneers clutching their water deeds in the grave, you might not be too far from the truth. Parker will have to, essentially, pry water rights out of cold, dead hands in order to fill Rueter Hess. The old water rights aren’t going to waste-Colorado law also requires that water be put to beneficial use (or at least said to be)-and have been bought by thirsty, growing suburban communities. Parker isn’t much different from Westminster or any other suburb, they were just a little late to the game.

Originally, the planners of Rueter Hess did not expect to need water rights. Overflow of Cherry Creek and natural runoff from the arroyos and ephemeral streambeds surrounding the area were supposed to fill the reservoir. In theory, that was a nice idea-a dam to catch the water that naturally wants to be there. In practice, it was a pipe dream. Cherry Creek is not known for overflowing. In fact, the constructors of the original Rocky Mountain News building built the offices right in the middle of the stream, because the dry, level sand made a nice smooth foundation. (Of course, when heavy rains came, Cherry Creek flowed, washing the building away. Needless to say, they rebuilt in a safer spot.) As the plans for Rueter Hess enlarged, the idea of the lake filling naturally became more and more unfeasible.

This has the reservoir planners scrambling for new sources of water, none of which are nearby or cheap. According to the Denver Post:

Most water to fill the Rueter-Hess reservoir “will have to be imported,” said Frank Jaeger, manager of the Parker Water and Sanitation District, who for 25 years has led the effort to supply 450,000 suburban residents.

Importing water would require multibillion-dollar pumping and piping from rivers running down the western side of the Continental Divide, such as the Colorado, back across mountains to Front Range residents, Jaeger said.

Though huge, the costs likely would be less than for alternatives such as trapping and treating contaminated water from the South Platte or Arkansas rivers, he said.

The option Jaeger and a Colorado-Wyoming coalition of municipal suppliers favor – one of four being considered by state natural resources officials – would divert water from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in western Wyoming along Interstate 80 to Colorado.

Any of these options seems ridiculously expensive, especially when added to the large price tag already hanging on the dam’s construction. Who will pay for another transcontinental tunnel or an interstate aqueduct? Apparently, Parker hopes that future residents will-if those residents don’t decide to move to the Western Slope instead, where the water already is. As it stands, current Parker residents are balking already at a 28% tax hike proposed to pay simply for operating costs.

Frank Jaeger is taking the old Field of Dreams attitude about the project, figuring if he builds it, they will come:

Critics “can make their claims,” but the reservoir will be crucial to sustain population growth, Jaeger said. Paying off the debt for the construction now underway all depends on tax revenues from future growth, he said.

“To say, ‘We’ll just shut off growth’ will only exacerbate problems,” he said. “If you don’t pay off debt, what do you do? What does that do to the economy of the whole state? We need steady, controlled growth. All our needs for a reasonable lifestyle are tied into this.”

What Jaeger fails to realize is that growth follows demand-and his ponzi scheme isn’t creating a whole lot of that. Of course, he may be in too deep to pull out now. The dam is practically complete, and Parker will pay for it, one way or another. Whether or not the reservoir will be filled remains to be seen. One thing we do know is that the dam itself will be named after Frank Jaeger. So, just in case it someday becomes the world’s tallest skateboarding ramp, rather than a practical reservoir, the thirsty kids from indigent Parker families can brag, “dude, they built this when they were doin’ shots of Jaeger!”