Landmark Agreement with City of Aspen Forever Protects Iconic
Creeks from New Dams
July 3, 2018
Contact: Matt Rice, 803-422-5244
David Nickum, 720-581-8589
Aspen – In a major victory for free-flowing rivers and Aspen’s iconic
Maroon Bells, American Rivers and Colorado Trout Unlimited
announced today that they signed an agreement with the City of
Aspen to stop the development of two unnecessary new dams.
Since 2016, Aspen had been advancing a proposal to develop a 155foot dam on Maroon Creek and a 170-foot dam on Castle Creek in
the shadow of the Maroon Bells. The dams would have flooded
private property as well as federally protected land in the Maroon
Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area, one of the most visited and
photographed valleys in Colorado.
“This is a significant victory for rivers in Colorado,” said Matt Rice,
Colorado River Basin Director for American Rivers. “We applaud the
City of Aspen for working with the conservation community to find
more sustainable and cost-effective water supply solutions. Thanks to
the hard work and persistence of so many people who love this
special place, these creeks will be protected forever from harmful
new dams.”
“Sacrificing the places that make Colorado great is the wrong answer
for meeting future water needs,” said David Nickum, Executive
Director of Colorado Trout Unlimited. “We appreciate the City of
Aspen making this commitment to meet its water supply needs while
protecting these much-loved valleys and creeks, and the wild trout
that call them home.”
In December 2016, American Rivers and Colorado Trout Unlimited
filed statements of opposition with the Colorado Water Court
regarding Aspen’s application to continue conditional water rights to
pursue construction of the dams. Aspen’s own 2016 water availability

 report clearly stated that the city did not need the two dams for
municipal water supply or climate resiliency.
In the new agreement, Aspen commits to moving the water storage
rights out of the Castle and Maroon Creek valleys forever, to alternate
locations that won’t damage river health.
“With this agreement, Aspen is proving that smart development of
water supplies and river protection go hand in hand,” said Rice. “This
is the kind of leadership we need to see more of, here in Colorado,
and across the West.”
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