Colorado River Update: Gross Dam — A Dam Waste In the Age of Megadrought

Hi Friends of the Colorado River!

Thank you for your support!

We’ve had the first hint of winter the last few days with a bit of snow on the Continental Divide here in Colorado.

In fact, if you stand at the site of Gross Dam in Boulder County, CO, you can see snow on the Divide in a few places. With that, we bring your attention to a news article in Truthdig just published yesterday,

Titled, “A Dam Waste in the Age of Megadrought: Colorado’s Gross Dam illustrates the folly of impounding water to feed unsustainable economic and population growth in the American West“, the article is written by one of the Gross Dam neighbors and digs into the chaos and illogic of the project.

As you know, the project is being built, but we are still in federal district court in a lawsuit against Denver Water and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. You might ask, “Why keep suing if the project is being built?”, and here’s the answer:

First, as the title of this article says, in a megadrought and with the ongoing reality of climate change, it’s insane to keep building more dams to fuel and subsidize more growth. So, regardless of if we win or lose, we are taking a stand and doing what’s right.

Second, by staying in the lawsuit, we send a big message to all of the other dam builders around the Colorado River basin that we will not back down or stop in pursuing what’s right.

Third, there is a chance to stop, or significantly change, the project that would achieve a better outcome for the Colorado River, and so we march forward in court.

Take a read of the Truthdig story by clicking here.

Thanks again for your support! It keeps us doing the right thing.

You can donate online by clicking here.

Gary Wockner, Director, Save The Colorado