City contractors will begin surveying the CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ South site this month and prepare for groundwater monitoring slated to begin after the first of the year.
CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ owns the 308-acre parcel of land just outside the city limits southwest of ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ. CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ and the city have identified about 80 acres at the site for potential flood-mitigation purposes to provide protection to downstream neighbors.
Data gathered over the next several months will inform the city’s preliminary flood-mitigation engineering efforts, how much university land will be required for flood mitigation, and future annexation discussions between CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ and the ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ City Council.
Pending finalization of a city-university access agreement, site visitors can expect to see contractors walking around the property with survey equipment beginning in December.
The goal of site surveying will be to gather topographic data points, information on bridges and culvertsÌýand to understand the geographic features of the CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ South property.
Upon completion of the surveying work, city contractors will begin drilling small wells on the property to allow for remote monitoring of groundwater levels. To do this work, they will rely on small backhoes, drilling equipment and other necessary implements.
Once the work begins, surveying, construction and installation of monitoring wells will take place Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The city currently anticipates completing all phases of the work before the summer of 2018, depending on subsurface conditions and the weather.
In July 2017, the city and ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ County jointly approved the 2015 ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ Valley Comprehensive Plan update, which provides a framework for further assessment of flood mitigation and for discussions between the city and the university about future uses for the CU ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ South property.
Use of the property for city flood mitigation would require ºù«ÍÞÊÓƵ City Council approval of an annexation agreement between the city and the university.
For more information visit www.colorado.edu/cubouldersouth and .
