Donation to supply water from high-mountain Boulder County reservoir

BOULDER — The Boulder Creek watershed is set to receive a boost in streamflow thanks to an anonymous donation and a water-sharing agreement facilitated by Colorado Water Trust.

The agreement announced Friday will support wildlife, ecosystems and recreation during the driest months of the year in perpetuity, and will help sustain local agriculture downstream from Boulder.

Beginning this fall, water from Jasper Reservoir, located high in the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area above Nederland, will boost flows in 37 miles of Boulder Creek and its tributaries before being reused below the city of Boulder.

The water-sharing agreement is the result of an anonymous donor’s gift of Jasper Reservoir to the Colorado Water Trust and a subsequent transfer to 37-Mile LLC. According to a news release from the trust, “the strategic release of water from Jasper Reservoir promises substantial environmental and community benefits for the Boulder Creek watershed and its residents and highlights the potential for collaborative multi-benefit solutions to enhance water resources and protect vital ecosystems in the face of climate change and ongoing development pressures.”

Colorado Water Trust accepted the donation on Thursday, and immediately conveyed the reservoir to Doug Tiefel of 37-Mile LLC with a set of restrictive covenants that permanently protects public access to the reservoir and optimizes the environmental benefits.

“Our stewardship of Jasper Reservoir aligns with our broader vision of environmental conservation and community enrichment,” Tiefel said in a prepared statement. “The family is honored to partner with the Colorado Water Trust to ensure that the reservoir’s water continues to benefit the local ecosystems and communities, reinforcing our legacy of environmental responsibility.”

This fall, 37-Mile LLC will begin releasing water from Jasper Reservoir into the Boulder Creek system. In most years, late summer and fall are the periods in which Boulder County streamflow drops, and aquatic ecosystems benefit from boosted flows. Water released from Jasper Reservoir will be protected for 37 miles from the reservoir through the streams that traverse the Indian Peaks Wilderness, the towns of Eldora and Nederland, and the entirety of Boulder Canyon.

Jasper Reservoir was built in 1896, six years after construction began by the Boulder High Line Canal Co. and nearly a century before Congress designated the Indian Peaks Wilderness as a part of the nation’s wilderness-preservation system. Irrigation companies and the Colorado Power Co. operated the reservoir over the next century.

Since the 1980s, Jasper Reservoir has seen a series of private owners, having been bought and sold multiple times. In recent years, the City of Boulder leased Jasper Reservoir water from private owners and provided that water to various Boulder County irrigators. During that time, Colorado Water Trust worked with the owners of Jasper Reservoir to craft a plan for its use for environmental improvements and public benefit. As these conversations progressed, the owners offered Jasper Reservoir as a donation to the trust. The nonprofit then sought out a steward for the reservoir with both the capacity and knowledge necessary to manage and maintain its infrastructure.

The Tiefel Family, longtime residents of Colorado, have a deep-rooted connection to the state’s natural landscapes and water resources. It established 37-Mile LLC, named for the length of the protected streamflow.

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