THE PROJECT In 2016, the City of Aspen and Pitkin County began a project to study the upper Roaring Fork River, from its headwaters to a point just above the confluence with Brush Creek to determine river health, community values and expectations, and river management possibilities to manage flows during periods of critical need in ways that improve water quality, river health, ecological health, recreational opportunities and riparian habitat.
The original goals for the project were to:
develop operational, management, and physical options that improve the health of the river while respecting each stakeholder’s rights and interests
Convene a group of experts and stakeholders familiar with the Upper Roaring Fork River to identify problems, constraints, and stream management goals for various sections of the river.
Identify stream management techniques or projects (targets) that can achieve these goals.
Run scenarios to see how effective these techniques or projects are at meeting goals.
Weigh the effectiveness of techniques or projects with the feasibility (e.g. legal feasibility, financial feasibility, physical feasibility, etc.)
The costs of the project were shared 50/50 between the City and the County with the County’s portion funded by the Open Space and Trails fund and the Healthy Rivers and Streams fund.
Contact: April Long City of Aspen stormwater manager and Clean River Program manager April.Long@cityofaspen.com or 970-901-6082