{"id":2452495,"date":"2019-12-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-22T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=318122"},"modified":"2019-12-23T09:47:29","modified_gmt":"2019-12-23T16:47:29","slug":"river-health-for-aspens-roaring-fork-is-question-of-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/river-health-for-aspens-roaring-fork-is-question-of-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"River health for Aspen\u2019s Roaring Fork is question of funding"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.5854214123007\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-318122-797\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-1024x700.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Snow blankets the clean river program ponds in the John Denver Sanctuary on Friday, December 20, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Snow blankets the clean river program ponds in the John Denver Sanctuary on Friday, December 20, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-1024x700.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Snow blankets the clean river program ponds in the John Denver Sanctuary on Friday, December 20, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-2-1024x570.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of city of Aspen | A list of potential projects for the city of Aspen's clean river program.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>A list of potential projects for the city of Aspen&#8217;s clean river program.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of city of Aspen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-2-1024x570.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A list of potential projects for the city of Aspen's clean river program.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-3-1024x574.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Courtesy of the city of Aspen | A presentation slide on how the city of Aspen has treated unpolluted water coming from the Aspen Mountain river basin.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>A presentation slide on how the city of Aspen has treated unpolluted water coming from the Aspen Mountain river basin.<\/strong><br \/>Courtesy of the city of Aspen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/12\/Cleanriver-atd-122219-4-3-1024x574.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A presentation slide on how the city of Aspen has treated unpolluted water coming from the Aspen Mountain river basin.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/river-health-for-aspens-roaring-fork-is-question-of-funding\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/river-health-for-aspens-roaring-fork-is-question-of-funding\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Untreated, polluted water flowing into the Roaring Fork River in the heart of Aspen and failing underground storm water infrastructure has the municipal government looking for new revenue streams to put toward an underfunded clean river program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The city has made <a id=\"N0x2ac39f0N0x2a19410:N0x2ac39f0N0x2aedf70\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/wetlands-stormwater-filtration-project-near-aspen-park-nears-completion\/\">progress with capturing and filtering runoff<\/a> before it hits the Roaring Fork from the Aspen Mountain basin on the south side of the river, with catch basins and wetlands near the Rio Grande park and trail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But on the north side of the river, where east end neighborhoods and homes on Red Mountain are located, untreated storm water runoff goes directly into the Roaring Fork.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That is one likely cause of why the state has put the Roaring Fork on its watch list of impaired waterways, said April Long, the city\u2019s clean river program manager.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Long has been charged with finding new revenue sources to fund the storm water department and clean river program in which almost $19 million in capital projects have been identified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Ramping up the program is a priority that Aspen City Council zeroed in on earlier this year as it learned it is woefully underfunded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe real problem is we don\u2019t have any capital programmed into the out years,\u201d City Finance Director Pete Strecker told council during a <a id=\"N0x2ac39f0N0x2a19530:N0x2ac39f0N0x2aee2d0\" href=\"https:\/\/d3n9y02raazwpg.cloudfront.net\/cityofaspen\/86d0f383-f1b3-11e9-9542-0050569183fa-c00eeb57-b7db-4763-8c17-174415a9ced9-1571414475.pdf \">budget work session<\/a> in October.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The clean river program has been underfunded since a previous council several years ago agreed to walk back a fee that was placed on developers based on the impervious square footage of their projects.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Council eliminated the development fee to relieve the financial burden on developers during the last recession.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Established in 2008, the fee generated between $800,000 and $1 million in its best years, and it represented roughly 50% of the funding for the program, according to Long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The main funding source for the clean river program now is a property tax passed by voters in 2007 and put in place in 2008. It generates about $1.2 million annually.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But with underground corrugated metal pipes that are more than 40 years old and are rusting out, replacing just a third of the infrastructure is anticipated to cost $4 million, according to Long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe built a program based on a $2 million (annual) revenue stream and promised the community we would do it,\u201d she said last week. \u201cOnly half of it is done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">City Engineer Trish Aragon noted it costs more to replace pipes in emergency situations, and getting out in front of it is a better use of taxpayer money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s all underground infrastructure that\u2019s failing,\u201d she said, \u201cand it\u2019s expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">COMMUNITY\u2019S TOP CONCERNS<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The department has identified just under two dozen projects that would create a more robust clean river program and address some of the state\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One of them that will get some preliminary attention next year is designing a catch basin on the north side of the river at Mill Street and Gibson Avenue, near the old powerhouse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It would collect runoff from the east end residential complexes including Hunter Creek and Centennial and some of Red Mountain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The clean river program was established in 2006 and council at the time selected an aggressive approach to it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Voters reinforced that notion by passing the mill levy, but Long said the program is coming up short from the community\u2019s expectation to effectively manage storm water and river health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cRegardless of the state\u2019s list, this program isn\u2019t supporting our community\u2019s desire,\u201d Long said. \u201cWe are discharging pollution into our river.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The state is continuing to collect data to find the causes of why aquatic life in the Roaring Fork is in jeopardy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Long told council in October that polluted runoff, erosion of the riparian area on the river banks due to development and low flows during the late summer and early fall all contribute to difficult survival conditions for aquatic life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe try to improve the quality of that water through education, regulation and treatment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Long also told council that for the past 14 years the Roaring Fork has been a top priority for residents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe health of the river is the community\u2019s top concern when we do our citizen survey,\u201d she said, adding that it ranked higher than affordable housing or transportation issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Subhead\">FINDING THE FUNDS<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\"><a id=\"N0x2ac39f0N0x2a19890:N0x2ac39f0N0x2aef008\" href=\"https:\/\/cityofaspen.granicus.com\/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&amp;clip_id=169\">Council members in October<\/a> signaled to Long that the clean river program is important and should be funded adequately.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Councilwoman Rachel Richards said a development fee is appropriate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe need to relook at this. \u2026 This is about the creation of impervious surfaces that don\u2019t absorb water and create more runoff,\u201d she said. \u201cWe should do something before the next recession hits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Councilwoman Ann Mullins concurred and said the message of protecting the health of the Roaring Fork River needs to be emphasized in the community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201c(The conversation) is always off to the side as infrastructure projects but it\u2019s much more important than that and we need to describe them as much more dire,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to elevate this discussion for several years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Long and Aragon are beginning to look at funding options based on what other municipalities do, as well as other research and brainstorming exercises.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The establishment of some type of fee, along with grants and creating special districts in neighborhoods where the infrastructure needs to be done are options on the table.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Long said she plans to bring funding options, along with prioritized projects with timeframe scenarios to council sometime next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe funding options will depend on the community\u2019s desire,\u201d Long said. \u201cWe\u2019ll need to test that with what the community wants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:csackariason@aspentimes.com\">csackariason@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/river-health-for-aspens-roaring-fork-is-question-of-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Snow blankets the clean river program ponds in the John Denver Sanctuary on Friday, December 20, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times A list of potential projects for the city of Aspen&#8217;s clean river program.Courtesy of city of Aspen A presentation slide on how the city of Aspen has treated unpolluted water coming [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2452495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 01:06:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2452495"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2452527,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452495\/revisions\/2452527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2452495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2452495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2452495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}