Creation Of High Line Canal Collaborative: What To Know

LITTLETON, CO — Arapahoe County, along with its partners, is celebrating the launch of the High Line Canal Collaborative, a newly reorganized management system that marks the beginning of a yearslong process to maintain the health and longevity of the canal.

Arapahoe County — a founding member of the collaborative, according to the news release — has partnered with Denver Water, the Mile High Flood District and the High Line Canal Conservancy, as well as local governments.

Since 2014, members of this group have individually invested more than $30 million into preserving the canal and the trail that shadows it, the news release said. The group has pledged that, over the next 15 years, it will invest $130 million into a variety of conservation and restoration projects related to the canal.

"The Collaborative helps us do more together than any one entity can do alone," the senior director of programs and partnerships for the High Line Canal Conservancy, Suzanna Fry Jones, said. "The Collaborative management structure will ensure this treasured resource is preserved, protected and enhanced as a regional legacy for future generations."

Dating back to the 1880s, the High Line Canal stretches across 71 miles of Colorado and serves as a popular nature trail in addition to a waterway for irrigation, Denver Water, which owns the canal, said.

In addition to ensuring that the canal's trail is both easier and safer for people to use, Denver Water is also looking to find new and more efficient ways to deliver water to its customers.

"Denver Water had a century-old canal that had outlived its usefulness," Denver Water CEO, Jim Lochhead said. "We wanted to transform the canal into a recreational and environmental crown jewel for the region. And with the help of a dozen partners who shared the vision, we have come together to realize that vision through the Canal Collaborative."

Thus far, structures have been built in and around the canal to reduce pollutants, filter out sediments and improve water quality, Denver Water said.

Trail improvements, such as new bridges, underpasses and mile markers, are also planned or in the works, in addition to new "gathering spots and play areas," Denver Water said.

A component of the Collaborative also involves clearing out dead trees in the forests surrounding the canal and replanting thousands of more drought-tolerant trees by 2030, according to Denver Water.

"Arapahoe County has committed tremendous resources to the Canal since 2010," Nancy Sharpe, Arapahoe County commissioner, said. "We’re thrilled that this new entity will bring together the various jurisdictions so we can hear from each partner and the public about the best ways to preserve and protect the High Line Canal for the future."