Temporary Big Dry Creek Trail detour begins in mid-May

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

The Big Dry Creek Trail in City Park between Eaton Street and the trail access point at 109th Circle will be closed temporarily during construction from mid-May through June 2024. Construction activities and heavy equipment will be re-shaping this area for two new stormwater ponds. Crews will also remove the existing concrete channel and vault to install a new outfall pipe to the creek.

Once this work is complete, we will remove the retention pond just upstream near the Westin Hotel. This will help us realign Big Dry Creek to its native path. When complete, a new 10-foot-wide concrete trail with a 4-foot soft path side will be installed through this area.  

For safety, pedestrians and cyclists must use the posted detour around the construction area. Detour and information signs will be posted on the trail with advanced warning of the closure.  

Thank you for your patience as we complete improvements to City Park Pond and Big Dry Creek.  

For more information, visit www.westminsterco.gov/StreambankRestoration.  

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.