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Flood control improvements provide
multiple benefits to Colorado City
By Tawny Quast
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ook no further than the scores of bikers, joggers,
and walkers enjoying the far western stretches
of the St. Vrain Greenway trail on any given day
in Longmont, Colorado, to understand the impact the
Lykins Gulch Stream Restoration project has had on
this mid-sized community just north of Denver. On
any given day, outdoor enthusiasts use the mile-long
greenway for recreation and as a link between their
homes and rest of the 7-mile-long trail system, east of
St. Vrain Creek.
David Hollingsworth, who led the Lykins Gulch
project for the City of Longmont, said the pedestrian
path link is the most evident public benefit of the
stream restoration project. “People really enjoy being
able to access the St. Vrain Greenway from the west
side of town,” he said. “Before, at least one-quarter of
the City’s residents couldn’t do that. Now people are
always using it.”
While the trail may be the most obvious
improvement, it was just a part of a complex flood
control project. The project involved rerouting the
Lykins Gulch drainageway to its natural path by
Left: The newly restored Lykins Gulch is a mile-long natural
channel on the western side of Longmont, Colorado, that runs
through farm fields and a private lake before discharging into St.
Vrain Creek. Above: The project includes a boulder walk across
the entrance to the water quality pond.
designing a mile-long natural channel through farm
fields and a private lake before discharging into St.
Vrain Creek. Ayres Associates, led by its Denverarea office, provided the engineering services for the
project.
In all, the project removed 150 acres from the
100-year floodplain, provided a critical link for the
St. Vrain Greenway trail system, re-established the
Lykins Gulch drainageway, created a natural channel
with native vegetation, and improved water quality.
Figuring out a feasible, cost-effective way to meet
all those objectives was not easy or run-of-the-mill,
Hollingsworth said.
Walt Pennington, Ayres Associates’ project
manager, praised Hollingsworth for his dedication to
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