Work is underway to enlarge Clark Reservoir northeast of Wellington. Contractors are currently building “dewatering cells,” or separation ponds, for collecting sediment from the reservoir.
The project is part of Phase I of the Boxelder Basin Regional Stormwater Authority project, designed to reduce flooding along Boxelder Creek.
Three ponds, each several acres in size, will be built. When they are finished, likely early this month, dredging of Clark Reservoir will begin. The dredge pump will pump water-laden sediment into the ponds, where sediment will separate from the water and settle to the bottom. The water will then be pumped into the Inlet Canal and returned to Clark Reservoir.
Dredging is scheduled to be completed by late November, according to authority manager Rex Burns.
In related news, Burns is developing a timeline for all three phases of the stormwater project, as requested by the three entities involved. After Clark Reservoir is enlarged, the remaining phases include building a second reservoir and making mid-basin improvements. Burns said the authority board hopes to approve the timeline at its September meeting.
The three entities, Wellington, Fort Collins and Larimer County, must also vote on proposed changes to the intergovernmental agreement that established the Boxelder Authority.
The Larimer County commissioners are pushing to include a sunset provision for the authority in the revised IGA. Commission chair Tom Donnelly said it’s important to have an end date because “the work is more likely to be finished in a timely manner.”
Donnelly noted that all three entities would have to agree on a sunset provision. If they agree to include such a provision, he said, there are several options available for handling maintenance issues once the authority is dissolved.