Work Continues on the Big Dry Creek Streambank Restoration and City Park Pond Improvements Projects

Work to improve the Big Dry Creek and City Park Pond will continue through 2026.

City Park Pond was drained in 2023. Throughout the remainder of 2024, crews will remove excess sediment from the pond, regrade the surfaces, and install a pond liner as soon as May and begin refilling the pond later this year. The excavated material is being placed north of the baseball fields to dry out before final disposal or reuse. Other improvements will be made as needed.

The City of Westminster is teaming up with the Mile High Flood District to improve Big Dry Creek’s water quality and flood management capabilities through City Park.

As crews prepare the work sites at City Park and near Big Dry Creek, tree removal has been completed. This project aims to build and support a healthy and thriving habitat for our native plants and animals. The first step is to remove the noxious and invasive tree species. Alive and dead trees will strategically remain for future habitat restoration and nesting. This project will plant and establish 425 trees, hundreds of willow whips, and thousands of native shrubs and plugs, build a wetland area, establish pollinator corridors, and install educational facilities. We ask for your patience as we work through these improvements to create these amenities for our citizens and wildlife. 

Future work beginning as early as April will include:

- Lining of the pond with large polyethylene sheets

- Local channel grading and stabilization.

- Sediment removal.

- Reconstructing or replacing grade control structures, box culverts, and retaining walls.

- Installation of water quality ponds for stormwater runoff

- Vegetation management and replanting.

What to Expect

- Crews will work Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.- 5 p.m.

- Saturday work will only occur as needed.

- No work will be performed on Sundays or major holidays.

- Crews and heavy equipment will be in the streambed, pond and project vicinity. The stream will be rerouted during construction.

- Construction equipment, including trucks and trailers, may be parked on surrounding streets within the City Park area and not within the neighborhoods. Construction access points will be off Sheridan at 107th Ave and off 104th Ave near the Tribute Garden parking lot.

- Trail closures will be necessary throughout the project. Detours and maps will be posted when applicable.

- Traffic control signs and detour routes will be posted as needed for the safety of drivers, pedestrians, and trail users.

- Following construction, the area will be seeded with native grass seed. Once complete, it will take a few years for weed control, growth of native plantings, and revegetation.

The City of Westminster is teaming up with the Mile High Flood District to improve Big Dry Creek’s water quality and flood management capabilities, and make it more resilient to intense storm runoff events. Together, we are repairing and stabilizing streambanks from 112th Avenue to Wadsworth Boulevard. This project will be completed in multiple phases. This project will address Big Dry Creek’s stream instability, flood management, and maintenance needs. Years of urban runoff has led to steep, unsafe streambanks. This degradation is also approaching sewer pipes and trails, which need to be protected from further damage. Mitigating these risks will allow our community to continue safely enjoying activities along the Big Dry Creek for years to come.

As part of the City’s commitment to water conservation, we will be completing updates to transition the existing City Park Pond into a reclaimed water storage facility. The pond will supply irrigation water for City Park’s turf and landscapes. Reclaimed water is wastewater that has been treated and cleaned. While it is safe for irrigation, it is not considered potable water.  

Changes were made to reclaimed storage requirements monitored by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and beginning in 2019 the City Park Pond was unable to be used as a reclaimed storage site without modifications. To meet the new requirements, the pond will be disconnected from the stormwater system to have an impervious liner installed so reclaimed water is completely separated from the Big Dry Creek stream system. To learn more about the standard to which reclaimed water is treated, click here.

Send the project team an email at BDCRestoration@westminsterco.govor give us a call at 303-706-3406.