PRESS RELEASE: Save The World’s Rivers Will Wade Into The CU South Permitting Process

3/4/2025
For Immediate Release
Contact: Gary Wockner, Save The World’s Rivers, 970-218-8310, gary@savetheworldsrivers.org

Save The World’s Rivers Will Wade Into The CU South Permitting Process

Boulder: Today, Save The World’s Rivers (STWR) is notifying the Boulder City Council that STWR intends to engage in the permitting process for the CU South project. Save The World’s Rivers “Boulder Creek” and “Save The Colorado” programs are very active in Boulder County, and in the South Boulder Creek Watershed, and so the engagement is a natural fit for STWR.

Specifically, at its March 6, 2025, meeting, the Council is proposing to pass an “emergency” item on its consent agenda to issue bonds of up to $66 million to pay for the stormwater project at CU South. Importantly, it does not appear that any permitting process that will be needed to construct the CU South project — including implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act — have even begun yet. These permitting processes can take years or over a decade.

“Flood protection is a critical function of local government, and we support the City’s overall mission to protect residents and properties from the flood risks that would be caused by the CU South project,” said Gary Wockner, director of Save The Worlds Rivers. “However, it’s also critical to implement these projects in compliance with federal environmental laws that are designed to make sure the environmental impacts are avoided or minimized, and that the final alternative that is chosen is the most practicable. The City has not even begun this entire permitting process yet, but it is describing a very specific $66 million alternative in its agenda item.”

As an example of how a project can change through the permitting process, just upstream on South Boulder Creek, Denver Water’s Gross Dam Expansion was found to have violated both the National Environmental Policy Act and Clean Water Act, which has thrown the entire project into limbo. Specifically, the ruling by the federal district court judge stated that the alternatives analysis for the project was flawed resulting in violations of federal law. Save The World’s Rivers’ “Save The Colorado” program is the lead plaintiff in the Gross Dam litigation.

“We encourage the City to begin the federal permitting process as soon as possible to increase flood protection,” said Wockner. “We fail to see the need for this ’emergency’ agenda item for a project that may not get built for many years and could change dramatically through the permitting process.”

This press release is posted here on our website.

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