Bear Creek Reservoir expansion proposal

Nov. 20, 2025 Update

 Bear Creek Reallocation Update -This item has been pulled from the Colorado Water Conservation Board agenda and will be presented at the January 2026 meeting. More information TBD.

November 10, 2025 Update

The Colorado Water Conservation Board will provide an update on the Bear Creek Reservoir feasibility study at their board meeting at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Denver Marriott West, 1717 Denver West Blvd., Golden, CO 80401. This meeting will also be available virtually at Board Meeting | November 19-20, 2025 | DNR CWCB. The informational memo CWCB will provide as a recommendation to the board is now available.

The CWCB encourages citizens to express their views and provide feedback to the Board on the agenda items. This can be done by filling out this form, by sending a letter to a Board member or to the Chair of the Board, or by attending the meeting. If you want to make a public comment during the meeting you must fill out a comment sheet prior to the meeting date and email it to the Board Coordinator. 

June 3, 2025 Update

The US Army Corps of Engineers will be drilling in Bear Creek Reservoir beginning June 3. This is a geotechnical exploration of the Bear Creek Dam spillway to support the feasibility study of storage reallocation for water supply.  The reallocation study is behind schedule and has yet to be completed. The Army Corps have shared there will be several opportunities for public review and comment on the feasibility study prior to its completion. When this information is available, it will be shared on this page. 

April 2022 Update

Lakewood City Council passes proclamation calling on substantial weight to be given to alternatives to this proposal, as identified by Save Bear Creek Lake Park.

View the Proclamation(PDF, 326KB) | Watch the Proclamation Video

October 2021 Update

DOCUMENTS

City of Lakewood "BCLP Reallocation Impacts" provided to Army Corps of Engineers: 

View PDF Version(PDF, 97KB)  |  View Excel Version(XLSX, 19KB)

PUBLIC MEETING

The first public Scoping Meeting for the Bear Creek Lake Reallocation Feasibility Study was held virtually as a webinar on Oct. 14, 2021.

• View the scoping meeting presentation(, 0B).
• For background information, read the feasibility study memo.

For more information, visit cwcb.colorado.gov/bearcreeklake. Comments and questions should be submitted to Bear-Creek-Study@usace.army.mil.

September 2021 Update

The Bear Creek Lake Reallocation Project remains in the Feasibility Study Phase. The Army Corps of Engineers approached the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) with a Reconnaissance Study in 2015 that showed potential to reallocate 20,000 acre feet of storage space for multiple uses. 

Currently, a scope of work is being developed for the Bear Creek Lake Reallocation Feasibility Study.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Colorado Water Conservation Board are conducting a feasibility study about making changes to increase water storage at Bear Creek Reservoir. The two agencies have identified the reservoir in Bear Creek Lake Park as a potential location in the state to expand water storage, which would substantially increase the size of the reservoir. The Colorado General Assembly authorized up to $2,500,000 for the Bear Creek Reallocation of Storage Study. The study has a three year timeline and will include the opportunity for public engagement.

The Army Corps operates the dam and reservoir, and the City of Lakewood manages the surrounding park and its recreational facilities under a long-term lease with the Army Corps. Because of the impacts to the park from such a federal and state proposal, city staff outlined several aspects of it in a May 9, 2017, memo to City Council(PDF, 1MB), which is the extent of the information the city has at this time.

As updates and additional information on this issue become available, they will be posted on this page.

Contact Information

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Denver Regulatory Office
9307 S. Wadsworth Blvd.
Littleton, CO 80128-6901
303-979-4120

Colorado Water Conservation Board
1313 Sherman St., Room 718
Denver, CO 80203
303-866-3441