Cherry Creek Trail may be subject to flooding Wednesday – The Denver Post

Cherry Creek could flood some of its outlying areas Wednesday due to dam operations upstream at Cherry Creek Reservoir. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be conducting its annual sediment flushing exercise at Cherry Creek Reservoir, which may flood low spots along Cherry Creek Trail in Denver.

The exercise will take place Wednesday from 9 a.m. until early in the afternoon, when the release will be set back to normal levels. Each of the five gates will take turns releasing a maximum of 250 cubic feet per second. It takes about six hours for the water released from Cherry Creek Dam to reach downtown at Champa Street Bridge. There, a water gauge is located where you can monitor the changes in flow.

“In the interest of public safety, I urge the public not to attempt to cross the stream during this event,” Col. Mark Himes  said in a news release.

Himes added that the high flows would cause higher-than-normal creek levels and potential flooding of bike paths and stream crossings.

“When the gates are opened, the high velocity of the water leaving the reservoir scours the area immediately upstream of the gates and transports sediment with the flow,” Katie Seefus, a water manager with the Army Corps of Engineers, said in a release. “This sediment flush is required to allow proper operation of the outlet gates.”

River gauges around the metro area indicate flow levels are in good shape.

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