Wilson & Company provided engineering services for designing and constructing a new 6″ waterline to repair damages after the 2012 Waldo Canyon fire burned through the drainage basin. The fire scars and downpours common in the summer increase the risk of flash flooding along Camp Creek and the North and South Douglas Creek Watersheds. Leading to the project for conveyance and detention needs to control the runoff.

A new dam for stormwater detention and sediment collection in the far northeastern portion of Garden of the Gods will now store 169 acre-feet. The facility temporarily holds a portion of Camp Creek’s floodwaters before releasing the water downstream at a lower rate and over a more extended period, reducing flooding. The facility captures the large volumes of sediment that race down the hillsides. It improves water quality before it’s released into the channel running through the park, Rock Ledge Ranch, and the 31st Street corridor. Completing the facility allowed about 100 properties to move out of FEMA’s regulated floodplain through a map revision process.

The project included improvements, an alternative analysis, and an environmental assessment defining several improvement elements. The features became shared ownership with the community and stakeholders. Significant advances were made throughout the Glen Eyrie campus, starting at the top of the canyon. Coordination with the stakeholders was substantial as this is a historically significant area, and the channel work completed included 4,600 linear feet of the rock-lined channel to match the local architecture. This channel discharges into the dam designed to fit into the natural terrain. The dam outlets to Camp Creek through Rock Ledge Ranch are designed to match the historic area using natural channel techniques. This 4700-foot section of channel follows its natural flow path and is stabilized using rock vanes and weirs.