Rueter–Hess Reservoir facts for kids
The Rueter–Hess Reservoir is a very important water project. It is located behind the Frank Jaeger Dam. This reservoir helps the Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) manage water. PWSD provides water services to most of Parker and parts of Lone Tree, Castle Pines, and other areas in Douglas County, Colorado.
PWSD sees the reservoir as a big help for the whole region. They work with other water districts in the South Metro area. They get extra water when it's available through an agreement called WISE. The Rueter–Hess Reservoir is where they store this extra water.
Contents
Where is the Rueter–Hess Reservoir?
The reservoir is in an area called Newlin Gulch. This is just southwest of Parker and east of Castle Pines North. You can see it if you look east from I-25. It's visible when you are south of the Castle Pines Parkway/Hess Road exit.
Why is the Reservoir Important?
The main reason for the reservoir is to use less groundwater. Groundwater comes from deep underground and does not get refilled quickly. The project was built to collect water when there is a lot of it. This way, there is water for times when it's dry. It also helps recycle used water. This reduces how much they rely on groundwater. Around 2005, it was one of only two big water projects like this in the Western United States.
Where Does the Water Come From?
The Rueter–Hess Reservoir is an "off-stream" reservoir. This means it's not directly on a river. Water needs to be pumped into it. It gets surface water from nearby Cherry Creek. It also gets recycled water from PWSD and other water districts. There are also small natural flows from Newlin Gulch that go into the reservoir.
The Cherry Creek water is taken from a special dam. This dam has a large pumping station. These are all located on Cherry Creek, south of Stroh Road in Parker.
How Much Water Can it Hold?
The reservoir can hold about 75,000 acre-feet of water. To give you an idea, nearby Cherry Creek Reservoir usually holds 13,500 acre-feet. Chatfield Reservoir usually holds 27,076 acre-feet. The big difference in these other reservoirs is because they are mostly for flood control. Rueter–Hess is built mainly for storing water.
Who Gets Water from the Reservoir?
The reservoir provides water to PWSD customers. This includes about 25,000 people. It also helps partner communities. These include Castle Rock, Castle Pines North, and Stonegate. These communities helped pay for the project.
Fun Activities at the Reservoir
In August 2015, PWSD made an agreement with several towns and Douglas County. This agreement created a recreation authority. PWSD provides land for outdoor activities. The other groups provide money and experts to help with fun things to do. These activities are usually "passive recreation," meaning things like walking or enjoying nature.
How Water is Cleaned
In August 2015, a very modern water treatment plant started working. This plant uses special ceramic filters. It cleans the water from Rueter–Hess Reservoir. Then, this clean water can be sent to homes and businesses through PWSD's water pipes.
History of the Project
The idea for the Rueter–Hess project started over 20 years ago. This was long before Parker became the busy town it is today. The Parker Water and Sanitation District (PWSD) owns the project. PWSD started in 1962. In 1981, when Parker had only 285 people, PWSD became an official district. As the town grew, the need for water became clear.
On March 20, 1985, PWSD got the legal right to take water from Cherry Creek. This legal right allowed PWSD to take surface water and underground water from Cherry Creek. This water would then be sent to the Rueter–Hess Reservoir.
Choosing the Right Spot
PWSD looked at other places for the reservoir and dam. By December 1991, after more studies, they thought the Castlewood Canyon site was the best. This site was south of Parker. However, building the reservoir there would have flooded much of Castlewood Canyon State Park. It would also have affected nearby historic ranches.
Legal Challenges
In early 1993, PWSD and the town of Parker went to court. They wanted to take over the state land at Castlewood Canyon State Park. They needed this land for the dam and reservoir. But the court said that the town and PWSD did not have the power to take state-owned land. The town and PWSD appealed this decision.
On March 11, 1993, the Colorado Court of Appeals also sided with the state. The town of Parker and PWSD decided to keep trying. They took their case to the Colorado Supreme Court.
In June 1993, PWSD also asked the Water Court to consider two other possible locations. This was in case they kept losing in court for the state park site. One alternate site was on a small stream near Cherry Creek. The other was in Newlin Gulch, southwest of Parker. This second site in Newlin Gulch is where the Rueter–Hess dam and reservoir are built today.
On November 1, 1993, the Supreme Court of Colorado agreed with the lower courts. They also sided with the state. This meant PWSD could not build the reservoir at Castlewood Canyon State Park.
How the Reservoir Got its Name
The Newlin Gulch area was home to several ranching families for a long time. These included the Rueter and Hess families. The Parker Water & Sanitation District needed to buy land from Ms. Rosie (Rueter) Hess. One of her conditions for selling her property was that the reservoir be named after both her married name (Hess) and her maiden name (Rueter).
Building the Reservoir
Construction started in 2004 for a smaller project. It was planned to be finished in late 2007. The cost was over $120 million. As the first part of construction was almost done, other water districts joined the project. They helped pay to make the reservoir much bigger. It was expanded to hold 75,000 acre-feet of water. The entire project was finished in 2012. The total cost was around $170 million. This does not include the cost of the land or other early expenses.
How Water Fills the Reservoir
Colorado had a lot of rain and snow in 2013, 2014, and early 2015. This meant there was often a lot of water flowing in Cherry Creek. Because of this, about 25 to 30 acre-feet of water were pumped to the reservoir every day. This was done by a powerful pumping station at Cherry Creek.
By July 2017, the reservoir was about 38% full. It held over 27,600 acre-feet of water. This was more than three times the amount of water PWSD uses in a year. Since PWSD also reuses water, this amount was enough water for the district for almost 6 years!
