Dry Gulch Outfall Systems Plan Update

Background

The Urban Drainage and Flood Control District’s Master Planning Program, in partnership with the Cities of Lakewood and Denver, have initiated this update to the Dry Gulch Outfall Systems Plan (OSP) completed in 1995. This study will evaluate the current drainage capacity along Dry Gulch and provide an assessment and recommendations for storm drainage infrastructure improvements, including channel restoration, conveyance, detention, and water quality enhancements. ICON Engineering, Inc. was selected to complete this project.

The Dry Gulch watershed is approximately 2 square miles in size and is highly developed with a mixture of land uses. Overtime, the once natural drainageway has been replaced, in areas, with conduit and underground systems to accommodate local development and to provide storm water conveyance. Many of the current systems lack the capacity to convey significant storm events, resulting in the potential for flooding along Dry Gulch. A focus of this study will be to evaluate solutions that will best accommodate flood conveyance and reduce potential flood damages, while also providing more natural solutions and amenities along the drainage corridor.

Within the City of Denver, much of the drainageway follows Lakewood/Dry Gulch Park and the newly constructed RTD West Corridor. Similarly, the RTD West Corridor alignment extends into the City of Lakewood, where zoning changes and re-development focuses around new transit oriented development.

The Dry Gulch watershed extends from approximately Simms Street in Lakewood to east of Sheridan Boulevard in Denver. The basin also generally extends from 10^th Avenue on the south to north of 20^th Avenue. North Dry Gulch is being studied by the UDFCD under a separate contract.

Project Map

Project Info

Deliverables for this OSP include development of a Baseline Hydrology Report; Alternates Evaluation Report (Phase A); and Conceptual Design Report (Phase B). The following reports are upcoming, in-progress, or available for download: