Introduction
This newsletter is an overview and update on the activity of the Three Lakes Watershed Association (TLWA) and will replace the typical August annual meeting that we were unable to hold due to numerous scheduling conflicts this year. We are planning to have an in-person annual meeting again in August 2025.
The mission of TLWA is “Protecting and Enhancing the Quality of Life in the Three Lakes Area”. Over the past 40 years TLWA has been established as the oldest and largest 501(c)(3) organization based in Grand Lake, has become a key representative at water meetings with the Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Water, Grand County, Colorado River District and the Northwest Colorado Council of Governments (NWCCOG), and has become a designated key advisor on water issues for the Town of Grand Lake. TLWA covers Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Reservoir (SMR), and Granby Reservoir (referred to as the “Three Lakes”), the Colorado River (between Grand Lake and Granby) and all the tributaries feeding the Three Lakes.
This past year has been a very successful year for TLWA. We were instrumental in getting a joint resolution passed by the state legislature to protect and improve water quality and clarity in Grand Lake, were published by key Colorado publications bringing awareness to Grand Lake clarity issues, and prioritized educating residents on our goals for the Three Lakes as well as continuing to be a key member of the Three Lakes Technical Committee and the Grand Lake Adaptive Management Process.
Membership Drive
As a 501(C)(3), we cannot emphasize strongly enough the importance of having a strong membership and donation drive. The TLWA Board of Directors would like to thank all our members for their continued support and generous donations. Your membership and donations are the key to our success as 99% of all membership fees and donations go to achieving the stated mission. 2024 was another big year for revenue in membership fees, donations (individual, long-time, and major donors), as well as awarded grants. The organization has collected a total revenue of $153,254 to date in 2024.
We continue to strive to improve water quality, clarity, and the environment of the Upper Colorado River Watershed. We value and strive for a healthy environment, including cleaner air and water, which are all essential for those who live in the Three Lakes area, on the Front Range of Colorado, and especially those who get their drinking water through the Colorado-Big Thompson Project. The Adams Tunnel on the East end of Grand Lake continues to deliver water to over 1.1 million people and irrigates 610,000 acres of farmland on the front range. If you get your water from Northern Water, it likely flows through Grand Lake.
If you are receiving this newsletter, you are or have been a member of TLWA. Please follow the link below to pay your annual dues and/or donate. We aim to strengthen our voice through increased membership, and therefore respectfully ask all members to reach out to friends and neighbors that may be interested in joining TLWA to help clean, restore and protect the Three Lakes. This link can be sent via text or email to anyone who values Grand Lake, SMR, Lake Granby, Willow Creek Reservoir, and all the rivers, streams and creeks entering the Three Lakes who want to help improve and preserve these bodies of water for future generations. Being a resident or homeowner of Grand Lake or Grand County is not a requirement for membership; in fact, awareness and membership along the Front Range is extremely valuable in furthering our reach and achieving these goals.
Grand Lake Clarity
Grand Lake Clarity has been a concern for over 70 years and a focus of TLWA for over 30 years. The signing of Senate Document 80 (SD-80) on June 24, 1937, marked a pivotal moment for Grand Lake Clarity. Intended to address irrigation needs on the Front Range, the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) inadvertently introduced reservoir water from SMR into Grand Lake, severely impacting its clarity. This shift altered the ecosystem, leading to declining water quality. Despite noble intentions, the project's legacy underscores the delicate balance between development and conservation. The C-BT's engineering feats stand as a testament to human innovation and highlight the unforeseen environmental challenges of large-scale water diversion projects.
For the History of Grand Lake Clarity, please read the article published in the SkyHi News by our President, Michael Cassio on June 24th, 2024 (see link below).
The key processes to manage operations for Grand Lake Clarity are led by the Bureau of Reclamation and Northern Water and referred to as the Three Lakes Technical Committee and the Grand Lake Adaptive Management Process. (See below for details).
Three Lakes Technical Committee and Grand Lake Adaptive Management Process
The Three Lakes Technical Committee (TLTC) is a group that meets every other month to discuss extremely technical issues with the Three Lakes. In this committee massive amounts of lake and reservoir data is evaluated and discussed. Based on the findings and results of the data the Grand Lake Adaptive Management (GLAM) process then develops an annual operational plan for meeting water clarity goals in Grand Lake. The TLTC also looks at solutions for clarity improvement, weed and algae mitigation, sediment buildup, and managing/removing/destroying invasive species that have contributed to water quality issues.
The GLAM process is implemented annually during July through September. The process was accepted by the State of Colorado Water Quality Control Commission in January 2016. Like the TLTC, the GLAM process is managed by the Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Water, Grand County, NWCCOG, the Colorado River Conservation District (referred to as the Adaptive Management Committee (AMC)), and includes participants from U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Weather Service, and the Town of Grand Lake/TLWA. Annually, the Bureau of Reclamation develops the GLAM Operational Plan, though implementation of the plan is impacted by nature (i.e. timing, rate, and duration of spring snow runoff, cooler or warmer temperature, wetter or dryer precipitation on each side of the Continental Divide). The CBT system is over 70 years old, requiring various maintenance, repair, and/or enhancements that can impact its ability to move water from Grand Lake through the Adams tunnel. The AMC meets weekly from July through Labor Day and then prepares an annual GLAM report that summarizes what was learned about the west slope Colorado-Big Thompson (CBT) Project’s operational approaches for the specific year and how well it met the Clarity Goals in Grand Lake.
The key to the GLAM Process is monitoring lake temperatures, pH and dissolved oxygen levels, algae and weeds concentrations, and overall health and to adjust CBT operations as possible to maintain scenic attraction and health. GLAM and the AMC adapt CBT Operations as they can during the summer months to improve Grand Lake Clarity. However, the constraints of annual hydrology, repairs and enhancements, and the fact that water and power generation take precedent often leads to limited options. The key process is moving water from Lake Granby, through the pump canal into SMR, which pushes the water through Grand Lake into the Adams Tunnel. Thus, maintaining the water quality in SMR is key for avoiding major water quality and clarity issues in Grand Lake. Director Jeff Metzger is the designated TLWA representative on all GLAM related matters and attends all meetings.
Mysis Shrimp in Grand Lake
A new initiative in 2024-25 from TLWA, managed by the TLTC through the Bureau of Reclamation and Northern Water, is to determine the impact of the invasive species Mysis Shrimp on the water quality of Grand Lake. The Mysis Shrimp is a small, crustacean native to cold, deep freshwater in the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada. Mysis Shrimp were introduced to lakes and reservoirs in Colorado, and other western U.S. states and Canadian provinces in the 1970s to improve food resources for sport fishes. The issue is the Mysis Shrimp cannot be consumed as a main food source for small trout and salmon species (Cutthroat, Rainbow, Brown, and Brook, Trout and Kokanee), and are only eaten by large Lake Trout. Therefore, the fishery in Grand Lake is being negatively impacted by the introduction of Mysis Shrimp and TLWA is a strong advocate of removing as many as possible.
Mysis Shrimp eat Daphnia which eat algae. Recently, significant gains in clarity in Lake Tahoe have been achieved through reduction in the Mysis Shrimp population, resulting in increased Daphnia population and increased algae consumption. TLTC is exploring applicability to Grand Lake.
Tiger Muskie Introduced to SMR to Eliminate the White Sucker
Another interesting project initiated in the fall of 2023 was the introduction of sterile tiger muskie into SMR in an attempt to eliminate the White Sucker population that is causing serious water quality issues. White Suckers are considered a major nuisance in SMR because they are able to compete with desirable trout species and other game fish for both fish habitat and food and can negatively impact dissolved oxygen levels. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife released 13,500 fingerling Tiger Muskie into SMR on September 14, 2023. Please read the SkyHi New article below for more details.
Weed problems in Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake
Weeds have always been an issue in SMR, as cold water facilitates weed growth. The GLAM process carefully manages water temperatures to hopefully minimize weed and algae growth, as increased water temperatures facilitate algae growth. We have received numerous complaints this summer about weeds in SMR and some that have made their way into Grand Lake. The weed issues have been discussed in the Three Lakes Technical Committee for the past 15 years. The Three Lakes Technical Committee has been studying the use of a weed harvester in May and September only, because it disrupts sediment when operated and could seriously impact clarity in Grand Lake between July and August. TLWA has been gathering data, pictures and videos of the weed issues and will be presenting results at the September meeting. If you have pictures and videos from your shoreline, on or around property, in your boat house, or anywhere on SMR or Grand Lake please email them to kirsy573@msn.com.
To report severe weed and algae issues in the Three Lakes, contact Grand County Water Quality Representatives. Please be very detailed and, if possible, send pictures and videos:
Water Quality Manager
Katherine Morris
Ph: 970-725-3058
kmorris@co.grand.co.us
Water Quality Specialist
Kayli Foulk
Ph: 970-725-3750
kfoulk@co.grand.co.us
Colorado Legislatures Unanimously Pass Joint Resolution to Protect and Improve Grand Lake
TLWA spent hundreds of hours over the course of two years developing a Resolution with Northern Water, Grand County, Speaker of the House Julie McCluskie, and Senator Dylan Roberts. On February 26 and 27, 2024, Joint Resolution 24-1018 went to a vote on the Colorado House and Senate Floors and passed unanimously. This resolution is the first of its kind in Colorado and passed unanimously. This was a huge victory for the Town of Grand Lake and Grand County and was not possible without key members of TLWA.
(click to read full resolution)
2024 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 24-1018
The resolution, “CONCERNING THE WATER CLARITY OF GRAND LAKE, COLORADO'S LARGEST AND DEEPEST NATURAL LAKE,” was discussed in several state publications. Below are links to Water Education Colorado and the Colorado Sun. The resolution documents the state legislators’ support in protecting and improving Grand Lake and future support for state, Federal and congressional funding when the Bureau of Reclamation needs justification for funding clarity related projects.
Picture taken at the State Capital on 2/26/2024 – left to right – Michael Cassio (President, TLWA), Merrit Lenke (Grand County Commissioner), Ed Moyer (Grand County Manager), Kirsten Heckendorf (TLWA Director), Julie McCluskie (Speaker of the House), James Eklund (TLWA Legal Counsel, Sherman Howard), and Steve Kudron (Mayor of Grand Lake.)
TLWA has been working closely with key leaders from Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Water, Colorado River District and the Northwest Colorado Council of Government for over 20 years. Everyone has worked tirelessly to improve Grand Lake and we have seen strong results in just the past 10 years. TLWA also wants to thank Speaker McCluskie and Senator Roberts for their incredible support and action.
https://www.watereducationcolorado.org/fresh-water-news/grand-lake-clarity-state-capitol/#/
https://coloradosun.com/2024/02/23/grand-lake-clarity-state-capitol/
2024 Grand Lake Adaptive Management Overview
The Bureau of Reclamation sent out their GLAM Operational Plan and based on many operational constraints, including a heavy snow runoff, higher than average rainfall, and cooler temperatures in 2023, the water has been mainly flowing east to west (Grand Lake to SMR) which has limited regular pumping from Lake Granby to SMR. Because pumping has been limited, and flow is moving east to west, meaning SMR is not flowing into Grand Lake, Grand Lake has experienced some of the best clarity and water quality in years. Flow through the Adams tunnel was also limited early in the season due to a repair on a small hydro plant. The AMC is constantly monitoring water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and algae in SMR and will increase flow through SMR into Grand Lake as water levels on the east slope allow.
However, this is expected to change as full pumping begins from Lake Granby to SMR. The water quality and clarity will decrease in Grand Lake due to the flow from west to east, pushing SMR water into Grand Lake. Let’s all thank Mother Nature for the prosperous snow fall, rain, and temperatures this year which delayed the need to pump sooner.
TLWA Grand Foundation Windy Gap Environmental Fund Grants wrapping up in 2024
In 2023, TLWA was awarded two (2) grants totaling $350,000 from the Grand Foundation Windy Gap Environmental Fund. The grants are awarded to qualified non-profit (501(c)(3) organizations to improve aquatic and riparian habitat and water quality in the watershed upstream from the Windy Gap Reservoir and below to the confluence with Williams Fork, with the goal of addressing impacts caused by the Windy Gap Project. TLWA was awarded $250,000 for a septic-to-sewer conversion project with the Three Lakes Water and Sanitation District (TLWSD) and $100,000 to develop a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) for the Town of Grand Lake for the North and Northwest section of town. The Grand Foundation Windy Gap Environmental Fund Grants to develop a Stormwater Management Plan for the Town of Grand Lake and support the Septi-to-Sewer Conversion for Three Lakes Water and Sanitation District will be wrapping up in 2024.
Additional grants were applied for in 2024 to further complete the Septic-to-Sewer project and to support the implementation of the stormwater plan but both applications were rejected. TLWA is planning to reapply for additional grant funding from Windy Gap Environmental Fund in 2025 for implementing the Stormwater Management Plan. There were no grants awarded for any projects in the Three Lakes in 2024.
TLWA Designated Key Support Organization on Water by Town of Grand Lake for 2024/2025
TLWA was unanimously appointed by the Town of Grand Lake to be the voice on all water clarity and quality matters in Grand Lake and with regard to the C-BT. In 2023, TLWA Director Kirsten Heckendorf presented the concept to the Board of Trustees and TLWA’s desire to be designated a representative of the town. Kirsten explained that the status allows TLWA to participate in government meetings it otherwise cannot.
“The town of Grand Lake is very fortunate to have TLWA working in partnership with the Town on all water related issues.” - Grand Lake Mayor Steve Kudron
TLWA Board of Directors
The TLWA Board of Directors is made up of eight volunteers. The following are the 2024 TLWA Board of
Directors:
- Michael Cassio, President, Director
- Jeff Metzger, Secretary, Director
- Kirsten Heckendorf, Treasurer, Director
- John Brooks, Director
- Steve Meyer, Director
- Dr. Jason Sutherland, Director
Recently, Scally O’Donnell retired from the TLWA Board of Directors. Scally was a past President of the organization, and has been a director and active member of TLWA and predecessor organizations since the early 1970’s. His leadership and executive management will be missed. Scally led some of the most critical accomplishments achieved by TLWA, from the creation of the Three Lakes Water and Sanitation District, blocking gambling in Grand Lake, and setting up key meetings with Department of Interior and the Governor’s Office. He has spent countless hours building the organization, lobbying for better Grand Lake Clarity, and trying to Protect and Enhance the Quality of Life in the Three Lakes Area. Thank you Scally for your hard work and dedication and for everything you have done for the organization and the Three Lakes! TLWA is looking for a new director to fill the seat previously held by Scally. Those interested should reach out to any one of our Board members.
2024 TLWA Financial Review (through July)
2024 Revenue (through July)
- Membership Dues/ Donations = $4,131
- Revenue from Grants =$149,123
Total 2024 Revenue = $153,254
2024 Expenses (through July)
- USGS Algae Toxin Monitoring = $ 4,400
- GCWIN Sonde =$ 5,000
- Boat Dock (sample and monitoring Boat) = $2,200
- GCWIN and GL Chamber Memberships = $1,585
- Windy Gap Fund Grants $109,582
- Sponsorship: Pond Hockey Tournament = $1,000
- Liability Insurance = $ 969
- Legal Counsel (Sherman and Howard) = $ 26,141
- Accounting (Tandem CPA) = $ 2,325
- Marketing & Website (Business Goose) = $ 8,500
Total Expenses = $161,702
2024 Year in Review
TLWA continued to use James Eklund (https://shermanhoward.com/attorney/james-eklund/) for legal support and to support our mission to help positively impact the improvement of water quality and clarity in the Three Lakes and especially Grand Lake. He helped with the Joint Resolution by communicating its importance to many House and Senate members on both sides of the aisle and other key politicians in the state (CWQQC, Gov Polis, Sen Hickenlooper, Rep Neguse, Rep McCluskie, Sen Roberts, etc.). Mr. Eklund is a great asset and has raised the status of TLWA to a new level.
TLWA completes two grants in 2024 under the Grand Foundation Windy Gap Environmental Fund supporting the Three Lakes Water and Sanitation District ($250,000) and the Town of Grand Lake ($100,000). Under these grants, we oversaw two large projects and collected over $50,000 in general and administrative fees to further support our objectives and mission. The projects include (See explanation above):
- Three Lakes Sanitation District Septic-to-Sewer Conversion Project
- Town of Grand Lake – Stormwater Management Plan
TLWA has recently submitted a letter of intent to the Grand Foundation for 2025 funding for the Town of Grand Lake Implementation of the Stormwater Management Plan which includes culverts, curbs and gutters, vegetation swales for naturally treating stormwater, and beaver introduction on Columbine Creek.
TLWA was highlighted in three newspaper articles in 2024. We are always looking for new opportunities to get our message out to the general public:
- https://www.watereducationcolorado.org/fresh-water-news/grand-lake-clarity-statecapitol/#/
- https://coloradosun.com/2024/02/23/grand-lake-clarity-state-capitol/
- https://www.skyhinews.com/news/opinion-guest-column-how-did-june-24-1937-impact-grand-lakes-clarity-and-can-it-be-fixed/
The major highlight of 2024 for TLWA was seeing Joint Resolution 24-1018 passed in a unanimous vote. TLWA received congratulations from Sen Michael Bennet, State Sen Dylan Roberts and Speaker of the House McClusky.
We have again asked both Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Water and our State Legislature to purchase a weed harvester for SMR and for funds to hire a contractor to operate it and dispose of the weeds it generates.
In 2024, the Three Lakes Technical Committee reviewed the potential for installing aerators to help move and circulate the water in SMR. However, it was decided by a team of scientists from Northern Water that the depth in SMR is too shallow for aeration. We believe that some form of aeration would improve the situation and continue to study the use of aerators in other shallow bodies of water.
TLWA is an influential organization in Grand Lake and we ask all members to do as much as you can to help us achieve our goal of major improvements on the Three Lakes water quality and clarity. Please get the word out about TLWA and the great work we do supporting the Grand County community as well as in protecting and preserving our natural environment.