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"The Pond" Feasibility Study

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Map of Hill Pond

This project is a feasibility assessment and alternatives analysis of the erosion issues at a pond (unnamed) along the Spring Creek trail, just northwest of The Gardens on Spring Creek. Earlier documents refer to the pond as Hill Pond. After November 2023, project documents will refer to the pond simply as "the pond" to avoid confusion.

This is a multi-faceted concern impacting multiple landowners, a ditch company, and the City of Fort Collins. The City agreed to fund this initial study to help identify problems, potential solutions, and financial considerations. Decisions based on this study would be a collaborative community effort based on funding, land ownership, stakeholder input, and community input.

This project is a feasibility assessment and alternatives analysis of the erosion issues at a pond (unnamed) along the Spring Creek trail, just northwest of The Gardens on Spring Creek. Earlier documents refer to the pond as Hill Pond. After November 2023, project documents will refer to the pond simply as "the pond" to avoid confusion.

This is a multi-faceted concern impacting multiple landowners, a ditch company, and the City of Fort Collins. The City agreed to fund this initial study to help identify problems, potential solutions, and financial considerations. Decisions based on this study would be a collaborative community effort based on funding, land ownership, stakeholder input, and community input.

  • Community Engagement Approach

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    The City engaged primary stakeholders (defined as those with ownership or maintenance requirements of physical assets in or around the pond). Secondary stakeholders were also engaged (defined as others who may have interest in improvements in the area in and around the pond).

    Primary stakeholders include: Hill Pond on Spring Creek HOA, Windtrail on Spring Creek HOA, Arthur Ditch Company, Colorado State University, and several internal City departments (Utilities, Parks, Trails, Natural Areas).

    Engagement flow:

    1. Set the tone for pond improvements as a project, conducting a community discussion and collaborative solutions with shared responsibility.
    2. In preparation for the feasibility study, the City engaged primary and secondary stakeholders to learn and understand their values and interests in the pond.
    3. Stakeholders weighed in on project direction and determined which challenges should be addressed in the feasibility study.
    4. Next we will consider the values learned in the initial engagement to study feasibility of the recommended alternatives.
    5. Lastly, we will reengage stakeholders and share alternatives developed.

  • Background

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    The City has an easement along the south side of the pond for Spring Creek Trail, the City’s most highly trafficked bike and pedestrian trail. This offers fund strategies in the Municipal Sustainability and Adaptation Plan (MSAP), which is the organizational roadmap to being a sustainable organization. The City is also a large shareholder in the Ditch Company; however, the City is not a majority owner.

    The pond is in the Spring Creek FEMA floodway and is included in the current effective floodplain models. Water levels in the pond fluctuate rapidly at the beginning and end of the irrigation season due to operations of the Arthur Ditch. Precipitation events also impact water elevations. There has been significant erosion due to the fluctuating water surface levels along the banks of the pond, including the islands in the middle, with up to 10 feet of bank collapse over the last 10-20 years. Continued erosion will soon impact Spring Creek Trail and, in some places, is only a few feet from homeowners’ property lines and fences.

    Spring Creek is important for flood conveyance. Spring Creek and the adjacent trail are community amenities, highly valued by adjacent landowners and City residents at large. The feasibility and alternatives analysis will identify viable solutions. Issues include scale of the erosion, permitting requirements, and stormwater conveyance. The study will include design alternatives, operations and maintenance needs, cost estimates, and will provide a basis for identifying project participants and financial responsibilities for any future work.

  • Project Updates

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    The community survey is now closed.

    On Saturday, November 4, 2023, stakeholders provided input on project direction, which alternatives should be studies, as well as the criteria for evaluation.

    Project documents are updated regularly in the Project Documents tab.

Page last updated: 01 Apr 2024, 02:40 PM