Willow Creek Stream and Corridor Assessment

Willow Creek is a perennial stream system that is tributary to Little Dry Creek within the South Platte River Basin. The creek begins in the City of Lone Tree Colorado, where its tributaries drain stormwater runoff from Bluffs Regional Park and Ridgegate Open Space Area before flowing into the City of Centennial. Within Centennial, Willow Creek passes through its namesake park and other open space properties with robust riparian plant communities dominated by Cottonwoods, Willows, and herbaceous wetland vegetation. Many of these areas are owned by the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District and utilized for active and passive recreation. This project focuses on the portion of Willow Creek downstream (north) of County Line Road and upstream (southeast) of S Quebec Street.

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In recent years, channel degradation, bank erosion, and culvert sedimentation have been observed on this reach of Willow Creek. Additionally, flood discharges surpass the capacity of bridges and culverts in this area and pose risks to public safety and private property. The purpose of this project is to: assess current conditions and functionality of the Willow Creek corridor within the defined project area; develop and evaluate alternatives for improvement; and design and construct selected improvements.

Project Sponsors include:

• Southeast Metro Stormwater Authority (SEMSWA) – stormwater management service provider for the City of Centennial
• Mile High Flood District (MHFD) – regional stormwater, stream mitigation and flood management resource for Denver Metropolitan Area
• South Suburban Parks and Recreation District (SSPRD) – primary landowner for project area

To assist in assessing the creek, evaluating alternatives, and ultimately designing improvements, the stakeholder team has authorized a team of consultants lead by ICON Engineering. This team includes:

• Valerian LLC- providing landscape architecture and planning services.
• Matrix Design Group – providing ecological assessment and permitting services.
• San Engineering – providing structural engineering services.

The project team has been conducting an assessment of Willow Creek within the project area utilizing the MHFD Urban Stream Assessment Procedure (USAP). The goal of the USAP is to provide an objective system for assessing the physical condition of urban streams and to assess the value they provide to the community. This process helps to identify and prioritize projects to help develop high-functioning, lower maintenance stream systems (HFLMS). The USAP evaluates 5 "elements" of stream health: Hydrology, Hydraulics, Geomorphology, Vegetation, and Community Values. The USAP utilizes a rating system (on a scale of 0-not functional to 3-fully functional) that estimates the functionality of each element. For more information on this stream assessment, please visit the following stream assessment website.


STREAM ASSESSMENT STORY MAP

The public will be an important participant in this project. As such, public outreach meetings and online communication tolls will be developed in order provide information and feedback related to this project.

Public Outreach Meeting 1

Date: Wednesday March 15, 2023 5:30-7:30pm
Location: South Suburban Sports Complex Banquet Room, 4810 E County Line Road Highlands Ranch Colorado 80126

Meeting Goal: To receive public input on how the community uses the project area and what improvements might be necessary. Meeting Format: Open House Can’t make it to the meeting? Consider leaving your feedback on the stream corridor here:

MIRO COMMENT BOARD

Public Outreach Meeting 2

For additional questions on this project, please contact: Nicole Harwell, SEMSWA Project Manager, nharwell@semswa.org