(Denver) Park renovations including dredging, grading and lining Ferril Lake in City Park are currently underway.  Draining the lake will allow contractors to contour the lake and install stormwater pipes as part of a larger effort to establish a stormwater detention area in the park.  Denver’s Wastewater Management (DWM) department plans to improve the lake as a holding basin where storm runoff will be temporarily stored for short periods during heavy downpours.  While the bulk of improvements will serve the needs of storm water control, other park related improvements will also be made to maximize benefits for public enjoyment and use of the park.   New improvements include adding seat-walls, wetlands, bird habitats, fishing platforms, replacing the asphalt walkway around the lake, re-building lake walls and reconstruction of the historic Electric Fountain.  Roadway surfacing, new irrigation systems and a new pavilion plaza are also in the works as part of the project.  The estimated cost of the project is $16 million.

The project will take two years to complete. The lake will be empty until April 15, 2007 when irrigation water will fill the lake again for the summer growing season.  Work in the lake will resume later in the fall of 2007 for the lake lining operations and completing the improvements.

 The State of Colorado Division of Wildlife has issued an emergency public fish salvage notice to authorize anyone with a valid Colorado fishing license to catch fish in the lake with additional legal fishing techniques such as snagging, seines and dip nets.  All bag and possession limits will still apply. Contact, Division of Wildlife Headquarters at (303)297-1192 for more information about emergency fish salvage and fishing regulations.

For questions about the City Park renovation project, please contact Helen Kuykendall (720) 913-0630 or email at helen.kuykendall@ci.denver.co.us. 

Background Information
The Montclair Basin is a large area extending from Fairmont Cemetery at Quebec and Alameda to the South Platte River near 38th Avenue.  It includes such neighborhoods as City Park South, City Park West, South Park Hill, Whittier, Montclair, Hale and Congress Park.   An analysis of several alternatives for improving drainage concluded that development of storm water storage facilities would be the most cost effective solution.  The study found that City Park was ideally situated in the middle of the basin, with its water features and topography able to provide substantial storm water storage capacity.  Denver Public Works and Denver Parks collaborated to identify park improvements that would serve both the needs of storm water control and upgrades to park amenities in a way that would maximize benefits to the public. 

Ferril Lake was identified as an ideal site to serve as an “off-line”overflow storm water storage area.  This means that most of the time storm water would be carried through underground pipe systems and the lake would only be used during high intensity storms (5-year or greater).  Water would pond for several hours and slowly drain back into the main drainage system.  Generally, these timeframes would coincide with existing use patterns of the park during rain storms when most people leave the park and return after the storm is over or cancel activities altogether.   In other words, the affected areas are usually not in use during heavy storms.

Ferril Lake Area
The lake level of Ferril Lake would be lowered by 2 feet to allow for approximately 120 Acre feet of storm water storage capacity.  The lake edges would be improved to improve the aesthetics of the exposed lake edges and restore damaged or lost features.  The west side of the lake would be improved consistent with the historic concrete walls and the more urban, hardscape edges.  A seat wall would be added to the north edge to contain the rise in water level during detention periods.  The east side of the lake would be naturalized with wetland plantings and rocks and the storm water would be contained by the natural contours of the park area surrounding the lake.  Improvements would also be made at the severely eroded edges of the Little Lake south of Ferril Lake and the DeBoer Waterway to comprehensively improve the waterway system related to Ferril Lake.  The Electric Fountain structure would also be restored as part of this project.   Inlet and outlet structures would be designed to integrate in the landscape and existing structures.  Most of the storm water pipes and related infrastructure would be constructed below ground under existing roadways in and around the park.  Except the change in lake level and the additional structures, the improvements of the water features would be consistent with the recommendations of the City Park Historic Landscape Assessment and Preservation Plan.

###