Sally Kribs, Editor skribs@wrightwater.com

Wright Water Engineers, Inc. www.wrightwater.com 2490 West 26th Ave., Ste. 100 A Denver, CO 80211 303.480.1700 Glenwood Springs Office 818 Colorado Ave. Glenwood Springs, CO 81602 970.945.7755 Durango Office 1666 N. Main St., Ste. C Durango, CO 81301 970.259.7411 Waste Engineering, Inc. www.wasteengineeringinc.com 2490 West 26th Ave., Ste. 100 A Denver, CO 80211 303.433.2788

Inside this issue:

Wright to Receive Dam Safety Award

2

Larkspur Water Treatment Plant

3

First Creek CLOMR 3

Mile High Flood District (MHFD)

4

San Luis Valley Crop Research Center

5

Public Meetings at Santa Susana Site in Southern California

5

Bell Mountain Ranch Water Connection

6

Three Mile Creek and the Roaring Fork River Confluence

August 2019

Wright Water Engineers, Inc. Waste Engineering, Inc.

Pena Boulevard Realignment jurisdictional or non-jurisdictional. This is necessary groundwork for wetland permitting for the expansion.

Project manager Andrew Earles would like to thank Mark Kunugi of DEN and Brad Rolf of Mead & Hunt (the prime consultant to which WWE is a sub-consultant) for the opportunity to conduct this work at DEN.

WWE is conducting additional wetland work for Denver International Airport (DEN) related to a planned expansion of Pena Boulevard. Anyone who has flown out of DEN lately knows that Pena Boulevard can become congested, especially during times of peak travel in and out of the airport.

Drew Maraglia is conducting field work to inventory wetland features and determine whether they are

Scott and Drake have appreciated the opportunity to work with Glenwood Springs Senior Planner Trent Hyatt.

Glenwood Springs city planning officials hosted an open house on July 20 at the confluence of Three Mile Creek and the Roaring Fork River in the south Glenwood Springs area. The open house was focused on planning efforts to restore riparian vegetation and recreation space to the area. WWE is leading a team supported by Chinook and Ramboll. City staff joined with WWE’s Scott Schreiber and Drake Ludwig to provide a tour of the area and field questions from residents.

The city wants to develop a holistic plan that addresses impacts on the area while also providing ecologically diverse and naturally sustainable habitats, improved water quality, trail connectivity, and recreational access.

The open house was well attended and the project received a high level of public support and input. The WWE team considers public forums to be important elements of project planning.

A crowd gathered near the confluence of Three Mile Creek

and the Roaring Fork River to hear about restoration

plans.

Ken Wright surveys a low-head dam in

Ohio.

Page 2

Haley Rogers is an avid backpacker who

knows wilderness first aid and CPR.

Ken Wright on his way to an inspection of

Independence Pass in July.

New Engineer Haley Rogers

Haley will be working with WWE on a variety of projects including stormwater monitoring and modeling. She is excited to be involved in so many new projects and learning from a “great group of engineers.”

Haley was raised in Boulder and she is glad to reside in Colorado again.

WWE is pleased to welcome back Haley Rogers as a new water resources engineer. Haley recently graduated from Yale University with a B.S. degree in environmental engineering. She interned with WWE during the summer of 2016, with the EPA Region 8 Biology Lab during the summer of 2017, and with WWE again last summer, in 2018.

Independence Pass Foundation

percent slopes that were later improved by the state to a milder slope.

WWE was retained by the Foundation in 1997 when Bob Lewis and Mark Fuller hired WWE to help find a solution to the erosion-sediment dilemma. WWE also helped with mobility and safety issues related to the state highway, which tops out at 12,095 feet in elevation and was cut into granite bedrock uphill from the historic townsite of Independence.

WWE specializes in erosion and sedimentation solutions and is heavily involved in stormwater management plans for the construction industry and utility companies.

The Independence Pass Foundation, headquartered in Aspen, Colorado, has been working for 30 years to overcome erosion and sediment problems related to State Highway 82 over Independence Pass, which lies between Leadville and Aspen.

The Foundation members and supporters are dedicated to improving the condition of this portion of the state highway for the public good and to protect the natural environment that was impacted during gold and silver rush days.

In the 1800s, Independence Pass began as a stage coach road built with 16

Wright to Receive Dam Safety Award

a great admirer of Bruce Tschantz’s and he feels honored to have been selected. Ken and Professor Tschantz shared an interest in dam safety and the rehabilitation of dangerous low-head dams across the U.S. Ken works on these dam projects with Andrew Earles and Karl Kingery of WWE. Ken will travel to Orlando, Florida, in September to receive the award at ASDSO’s annual convention.

Ken Wright was selected as the 2019 Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) Bruce A. Tschantz Public Safety at Dams Award recipient. The association gives this award to recognize and celebrate Bruce Tschantz’s lifetime achievements in dam safety, his contributions to ASDSO, and his efforts to improve public safety around dams. The award is given to a person who takes on the role of local champion and works to improve safety at dams. Ken is

The study involves determining revisions to the floodplain mapping

that will result from planned infrastructure

changes in the area including a detention

pond, bridge, and roadways.

Page 3

Sara Goldstein at the baths in Bath.

Exterior (above) and interior (below) of

Larkspur’s new Water Treatment Plant.

First Creek CLOMR

This investigation will include an assessment of the permitted and constructed water supply wells and water rights associated with the subject parcels as needed for future development planning.

Hydrogeologist Gary Witt is pleased to be working with Evan Rumney of Redland Consulting Group, Inc., to provide an assessment of the groundwater resources associated with two parcels near Parker, Colorado.

Larkspur Water Treatment Plant

Parker Area Groundwater Assessment

water. The project also included new distribution piping to provide redundancy and increase fire flow capacity to the heart of the Town.

WWE’s Wayne Lorenz, Jeff Nelson, and Eric Bodine would like to thank the Town for the opportunity to work on this interesting assignment and to improve the Town’s infrastructure.

WWE is pleased to report that the Town of Larkspur’s new Water Treatment Plant and Arapahoe Well are in service and providing clean drinking water to the residents of Larkspur.

The new greensand filtration system removes iron and manganese from the new well water and the existing wells to improve the taste and appearance of the

WWE’s Drew Maraglia also performed wetland delineations and associated 404 permitting work for this project. WWE adjunct scientist Blair Leisure conducted an evaluation for threatened and endangered species.

WWE appreciates the opportunity to work on this assignment for Majestic Realty Company’s Randall Hertel, Skip Bailey, and Michael Kapoor. We have enjoyed coordinating closely with Deb Ohlinger from Olsson Associates, Chris Strawn from Ware Malcomb, and Ryan Littleton from HR Green.

WWE’s Ian Paton and Karl Kingery are continuing work on a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) for a portion of First Creek in Aurora. This CLOMR application includes an analysis for revised hydrology as well as an updated hydraulic analysis of the drainage channel.

The study involves determining revisions to the floodplain mapping that will result from planned infrastructure changes in the area designed by other engineering consultants, including a detention pond, bridge, and roadways.

Roman Hydraulic Engineering in Bath, England The hydraulics of the original Roman engineers still work today! The main pool continues to be leak free and water still moves through original Roman lead piping throughout the ancient complex.

Currently, the main bath’s water is green due to algae. In Roman times, there was a roof over the entire complex to keep the water clean and maintain its heat.

WWE engineer Sara Goldstein visited England last month and had time to view one of England’s biggest tourist attractions—the Roman baths in Bath!

The hot spring in Bath is the only hot spring in the United Kingdom and has been important since the city’s founding in A.D. 43. After the Romans took over the area, they built an extensive temple complex encompassing the hot spring.

Page 4

Brett Oliver

Smith Creek Crossing and River Run Ranch at Granby

Welcome, Brett Oliver! Colorado’s Elk Mountains. After finishing his degree, Brett backpacked and hitchhiked through South America.

Brett is looking forward to working on groundwater modeling, data analysis, mapping, and water rights as he continues his career with WWE. In his free time he enjoys backpacking, mountain biking, and splitboarding.

Geoscientist Brett Oliver joined WWE’s Durango office in April of 2019. Originally from Beulah, Colorado, Brett earned a degree in geoscience from the University of Colorado.

Prior to joining WWE, Brett worked with several geoscience research groups studying water isotopes in Antarctic ice cores, sediment cores off the coast of Greenland, and the geomorphic characteristics of alpine rock glaciers in

and U.S. Highway 34 in Grand County. Jonathan Kelly, Wayne Lorenz, Mark Van Nostrand, Andrew Dixon, Kristen Schaffer, and Gouthami Sunku are handling these important assignments for Sun Communities. They look forward to the successful completion of the project.

The first work of WWE’s at Granby was nearly 60 years ago when we designed and built a “thermos bottle” underground water storage tank that battled the tendency for the water pipes to freeze during the winter. WWE also drilled wells into the Fraser River alluvium, from which 40 degree water was pumped into the underground pipes.

Granby’s long-awaited Smith Creek Crossing housing development is kicking off. July saw a big step forward when the developer, Sun Communities, launched a website for this housing development and initiated the sale of units. WWE is handling the utility engineering for this recreation-oriented development centered on a terrific trout-filled reach of the Colorado River.

The tight housing market at Granby will be loosened a bit by the many new, affordable homes that will be available through Sun Communities. WWE’s current Sun Communities project in Granby, the River Run RV Resort, had its soft opening for RVs in July. It is near the junction of U.S. Highway 40

Mile High Flood District (MHFD)

Over the years, the Mile High Flood District has grown in its ability to serve its many constituency members and in its organizational efficiency.

Much of MHFD’s success is due to the far-reaching and superior work of Senator Joe Shoemaker during the 1960s and his devotion to wise urban planning and floodplain protection. WWE served as the Senator’s engineering arm and joined with him in devising the planning, design, and construction roles for the new district.

The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District has officially rebranded itself as the Mile High Flood District to better serve its constituency in the six-county Denver Metropolitan area.

It was 50 years ago, in 1969, that the State Geologist (John Rold) and Ken Wright testified to a joint legislative committee about the lack of drainage outfalls, downstream development, and flood risk, saying that there was a vital need for the creation of a special district to bring order out of drainage chaos.

Ken and Ruth Wright will celebrate their

65th wedding anniversary on August 7. Kenneth Wright and Ruth Sponner were

married in Salzburg, Austria, at the

historical Mirabell Palace overlooking the

Salzach River. In the photo, they are

flanked by Ruth’s sister, Rosemarie

Sponner, and Saudi Aramco colleague

Bill Spicer.

The WWE gang had a great time at the

Reception on the River put on by the

Greenway Foundation! Shown are Andrew

Dixon, Haley Rogers, Gouthami Sunku, and

Drew Maraglia (photo by Ian Paton).

Andrew and Chris estimated costs for source control BMPs, specifically

street sweeping. WWE previously developed

ranges of potential costs for treatment BMPs such as extended dry detention

and bioretention.

Page 5

Members of the SSFL Surface Water Expert

Panel with staff from Geosyntec and

Boeing, with the SSFL site in the

background. From left to right: Maia Colyar

(Geosyntec), Michael Josselyn (WRA),

Jon Jones (WWE) , Michael Stenstrom

(UCLA), Brandon Steets (Geosyntec), and

Jeff Wokurka (Boeing).

CSU’s potato breeding and selection

greenhouse at the San Luis Valley Research

Center

and Environment to estimate costs for source control BMPs, specifically street sweeping. WWE previously developed ranges of potential costs for treatment BMPs such as extended dry detention and bioretention. Andrew and Chris prepared two technical memoranda summarizing their analyses.

WWE has enjoyed the opportunity to participate in the orthophosphate work group that is comprised of Denver Water, City and County of Denver, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and other stakeholders to present and discuss our work. We would like to thank Jon Novick of Denver Department of Public Health and Environment and Steve Ravel of Mott MacDonald for the opportunity to work on this assignment.

Drs. Andrew Earles and Chris Olson have been conducting work for the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment and Denver Water related to phosphorus removal costs.

Denver Water is evaluating potential costs associated with adding orthophosphate to drinking water for corrosion control throughout its service area. The intent of the orthophosphate additions is to help to minimize leaching of lead from older service lines. Because of the increase in the phosphorus content of potable water used for lawn irrigation, there is potential for some of the added orthophosphate to become mobilized.

Andrew and Chris performed a literature review and used data collected by Denver Department of Public Health

CSU San Luis Valley Crop Research Center

Analysis of Phosphorus Removal Costs in Stormwater

system expansion at $287,000 and the bid came in at $261,414.

A reliable engineer’s opinion of probable capital cost such as this is seen as a success, especially in today’s highly variable contractor’s market.

WWE will monitor the progress of the water system construction and adherence to our design.

The design performed by engineers Wayne Lorenz, Anna Campbell, and Andrew Dixon for the Colorado State University San Luis Valley Research Center Water System was put out to bid in July. The winning bid was submitted by Alcon Construction, Inc.

WWE estimated the cost of construction for the nitrate removal system and water

Public Meetings at Santa Susana Site in Southern California

One meeting was a site tour with some members of the public, and the other was a public presentation. Jon is one of five members of an expert panel that reports to the California Water Quality Control Board, Los Angeles Region, on activities related to the NPDES permit that applies to this site.

SSFL is jointly managed by Boeing, NASA, and the USDOE.

Jon Jones was pleased to participate in two recent public meetings regarding the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) in Ventura County, California. The meetings were focused on water quality control practices that have been implemented to improve the quality of stormwater runoff from this 2,800-acre site located on high ground between Simi Valley and San Fernando Valley.

Firehouse Lecture: Low-head Dam Awareness

Ken Wright has made it his mission to raise public awareness about the dangers of low-head dams, also known as “drowning

machines.”

Ken and Karl Kingery will give a presentation to Denver’s Engine 1 Water Rescue Squad on water rescues at low-head dams on August 26. Lt. Kurt Buhler of Denver’s Engine 1 Fire Station

has invited Ken and Karl to participate in a “firehouse lunch” after their presentation.

Ken and Karl would be happy to repeat their presentation for any other agencies that are involved in water rescues.

Main Office:

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Denver, CO 80211

Phone: 303.480.1700

Fax: 303.480.1020

E-mail: skribs@wrightwater.com

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A mosaic fountain of Pompeii at the House

of the Large Fountain

Surface water. Groundwater. Wright Water.

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Main Office:

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Suite 100A

Denver, CO 80211

Phone: 303.480.1700

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Bell Mountain Ranch Water Connection

WWE is working closely with the Town of Castle Rock engineering staff and the board members of the Bell Mountain Ranch Metropolitan District to find a solution to satisfy the needs of the two water systems.

Wayne Lorenz and Anna Campbell are continuing work with Bell Mountain Ranch, a community south of Castle Rock, to evaluate options to connect to the Town of Castle Rock water system.

hydrologic models. Based on the modeled future flow rates, the channel at the site will be sized to convey stormwater runoff in a manner that maintains the drainage in a stable form.

WWE engineers Chris Olson, Scott Schreiber, and Ian Paton have been working on this assignment. They appreciate the opportunity to work with Patrick Gunn and Chris Strawn from Ware Malcomb, the site civil engineers for the project.

WWE has been working on assessing the geomorphological impacts related to the stormwater runoff from a proposed logistics center development site in a drainage tributary to Sand Creek in eastern Aurora. Determining the projected future flow rates in the channel resulting from the planned development was the first step in the project.

The hydrologic analysis was conducted using the CUHP and SWMM

Pompeii’s Mosaic Fountains

Geomorphology of Sand Creek Tributary

because a brand-new excavation in Regio V is underway.

Some of the fountains were fed by pressure from the ancient city water towers via lead piping directly to the fountain, and others had their own water tower atop of the fountain structure, often filled by hand.

Please reach out to Jamie Akens if you plan to visit Pompeii, as he is happy to share a list of areas where one can see the mosaic fountains.

WPI researchers Wayne Lorenz and Jamie Akens recently conducted field investigations in the Naples Bay area of Italy focused on ancient Roman water engineering feats and infrastructure. A focus of the visit this year was to study a fascinating element of the city of Pompeii—the Mosaic Fountains.

Although there are many mosaic shrines in the city, only a few were built with water features. Currently, there are 13 known mosaic fountains throughout the city, but this number could change