Background
Our beloved Homestake Valley in the Holy Cross Wilderness is again at risk. The Cities of
Aurora and Colorado Springs are seeking to build what we’re calling “Homestake III,” another huge reservoir in the Homestake Valley to take even more of our West Slope water to slake the Front Range’s unquenchable thirst for more lawns, buildings, and golf courses. This so-called Whitney Reservoir Project would require up to 500 acres to be removed from the Holy Cross Wilderness!
On the eastern edge of the Holy Cross Wilderness near Red Cliff lies the Homestake Valley,
home to a diversity of plant and animal life, irreplaceable fens and high-quality wetlands, and an abundance of recreation opportunities. But despite its peaceful and serene appearance, trouble is brewing.
In 2021, White River National Forest allowed the drilling of test wells in the Homestake Valley – the first step towards constructing a new dam and reservoir that could inundate portions of the Holy Cross Wilderness and send more Western Slope water to the Front Range.
What’s happening in the Homestake Valley?
The Front Range cities of Aurora and Colorado Springs, which own water rights in the area, are planning a new dam and reservoir in the Homestake Valley, which would divert 20,000-acre-feet of water per year from the Western Slope to the Front Range. The cities already have one reservoir (Homestake I, completed in 1967) and they’re calling this new proposal the Whitney Reservoir.
The proposed Whitney Reservoir is an alternative to the Homestake II project, which proposed a dam in the Holy Cross Wilderness and was successfully defeated by massive community outcry and legal action in the 1980s and 1990s. This alternative is no better than Homestake II and could eliminate as many as 497 acres from the Holy Cross Wilderness, as well as flooding a spectacular and ecologically rich valley filled with fens (a rare form of wetlands) wildlife habitat and beloved recreational opportunities.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Sign the petition on the Wilderness Workshop website linked to below.
Look for Action Alerts from ESWA when it is time to call and write county, state, and federal officials in opposition to the project.
Join and donate to ESWA here to support our efforts to kill Homestake III
USEFUL LINKS
Comentários